The Viper-Engined VLF F1 Roadster Has Been Spotted A Week Before Its Launch

You’re looking at the 745bhp VLF F1 Roadster, caught undisguised in the open the week before its official debut at the Shanghai motor show.

The small-volume soft-top supercar has a Dodge Viper engine under the bonnet, which means a normally-aspirated 8.4-litre V10 bolted to a good ol’ six-speed manual. Nice. Torque is, err, ample, with 638lb ft treating the rear tyres like an electric cheese grater treats a block of cheddar.

That means performance to shout about, with 0-62mph dispatched in less than three seconds, its makers claim, and a top speed of 210mph. That’s slightly down on the 218mph hard-top version, but do you really care?

VLF, a joint venture between Henrik Fisker, former General Motors vice-chairman Bob Lutz and racing driver Ben Keating, launched the coupe version of the car last year. Since then it has proved especially popular in China.

We don’t have prices for the Roadster yet, but it’s going to be a healthy amount more expensive than the £215,500-ish hard-top. There’s a lot of competition for that price, but even the McLaren 720S can’t match the sheer brute force of the VLF.

Via: Autocar