IFR / Aspid Cars

The Aspid was an exciting sports car from automotive engineering consultancy company IFR Automotive founded by Ignacio Fernández Rodriquez. The car its world debut at the British International Motor Show in June 2008.  Very much a driver’s car, it offered exceptional performance, agility, and style. It was also small, lightweight, and ultra-compact.

Aspid prototypes featured a 2-liter engine; either naturally aspirated to deliver 270bhp or supercharged to 400bhp.  The engines were highly modified by IFR, such that the engine block could be sourced from a number of possible suppliers. Power was delivered to the rear wheels through a manual 6-speed gearbox and a limited-slip differential.

The lightweight aluminum and carbon structure of the car, which had a mass of just 700kg (1,550lb) and the resulting 570bhp-per-tonne (1.75kg/bhp) power-to-weight ratio gave awe-inspiring acceleration on the track, with the car reaching 62mph (100km/h) in 2.8 seconds and 100mph (160km/h) in 5.9 seconds.  

That, however, was only half the story since the car had equally remarkable braking performance and could stop dead in its tracks from 100mph (160km/h) in 3.0 seconds.  When cornering, the car could generate enormous grip and an intense 1.6g of lateral acceleration.  The maximum speed was restricted to 155mph (250km/h).

Later the company was renamed Aspid Cars and in July 2012 released images of the second planned model - the  GT-21 Invictus. Unfortunately, none of these models reached production, and the company soon disappeared.