High performance engineering’s latest developments will take centre stage at Autosport International 2013, with an array of new products to be launched.
The 10-13 January event at Birmingham’s NEC starts with two days solely for trade guests. Europe’s largest dedicated motorsport trade show, over £800 million in business was generated at Autosport International 2012, which featured over 700 exhibitors and was attended by 28,500 industry guests.
Beyond motorsport, an increasing number of companies are applying their technology across a range of other engineering fields, including aerospace, defence, marine and medical.
British supercar manufacturer Radical Sportscars will use Autosport International to launch its newest car, the 175mph Radical Xtreme Coupé, set to go on sale in summer 2013. While Radical already holds the production car lap record at Germany’s famed Nürburgring Nordschleife, the RXC is faster and more performance-focused than anything built in its sector before, and is Radical’s first model with an enclosed cockpit.
Powered by a 3.7-litre Ford V6 producing 380bhp and tipping the scales at just 900kg, the RXC accelerates from 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds, and is capable of a top speed of 175mph. A space frame chassis is coupled with an aggressive, Le Mans-styled body including a full-width, carbon bi-plane rear wing and gullwing doors.
A year after the parties involved first met at the show, the Sin 01 race car will be launched at the 2013 show. A joint venture between British firm Pro Formance Metals and the newly-formed Sin Car GmbH from Germany, the racer will provide similar levels of performance to a GT sportscar. Coupling a space frame chassis produced from aerospace-quality materials with a 6.2-litre Chevrolet V8 engine, a street-legal version is set for development in 2013.
One of the sport’s most significant projects of the generation, the DeltaWing concept will be on show, thanks to exhibitor Aurora Bearing Company. Originally designed as a concept chassis for IndyCar, the revolutionary racer went on to become a sportscar.
It marks a major departure from the heavier and more-powerful cars traditionally seen in top-level competition. Powered in 2012 by a four-cylinder 1.6-litre Nissan DIG-T engine producing 300bhp, the car weighs just 575kg with fuel and driver. Its race debut came in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last June, through ‘Garage 56’, used by organiers to allow an experimental car to run outside of official classification.
Autosport International runs from 10-13 January 2013. Adult tickets are available from £26, with discounts for group bookings. To register call +44 (0)845 218 6012, or visit www.autosportinternational.com.
