02 Mar 05
We reported last autumn that a small Spanish company was to launch a 300,000-euro supercar in Geneva this spring - and here is the V12 mid-engined Tramontana, almost ready to hit the roads, though this prototype is said to have been completed only days before the show. Developed by former Volkswagen engineer Joseph Rubau at his HQ in Girona, near Barcelona, the car is constructed around a carbonfibre chassis with part-aluminium bodywork.
Developing over 500bhp from its mid-mounted V12 - the company hasn't confirmed whether it is a BMW- or Mercedes-sourced unit - the Tramontana will be a rare sight: just 12 cars a year will be made, and the first will be delivered towards the end of this year. Tramontana has claimed that its first year's-worth has already been sold. It "is not just another luxury sports car", apparently, but "combines exclusivity and differentiation with the best materials and a handmade production." With inspiration drawn from aeronautical technology, the car's unique selling point is the fighter-jet style seating arrangements - two seats in tandem, rather than horizontally across the cabin. This "allows the perfection of the equilibrium." Tramontana promises that "each unit will be unique, as the production process will include a large amount of customer-ordered specifications, from customised inscriptions on the chassis to an ergonomical study of the client." Form an orderly queue to sign up, please...
News: Spanish firm planning 12-cylinder supercar
