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Elemental Motor Company
Company typePrivate company
IndustryAutomotive
Founded28 November 2012
FounderJohn Begley
Mark Fowler
Headquarters
Hampshire
,
United Kingdom
Key people
John Begley
Mark Fowler
Guy Colborne
Jeremy Curnow
ProductsElemental rp1
Number of employees
8
Websitewww.elementalcars.co.uk

Elemental Motor Company is a British low-volume performance motor vehicle manufacturing company that produces the Elemental RP1, a road-legal two seater sports car. The company is based in Hampshire, United Kingdom.[1]

Background

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Elemental Motor Company was founded in 2012 by John Begley, a former McLaren Formula 1 engineer with experience in BTCC race cars, and Mark Fowler, a former McLaren F1 Aerodynamics Engineer.[1][2][3][4]

The company's first car, the Elemental RP1 (or Race Project One)[5] was introduced as a prototype at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2014.[6] A re-engineered, production-ready model was presented at the same hill climb event in 2016.[2][7] The first customer cars were delivered in 2017.[8][9]

Elemental Motor Company also operates as a design and engineering consultancy, producing the AP-0 EV show car for technology partner Apex Motors in 2020.[10]

In 2021, Elemental announced the development of the RP1 EV, an BEV variant of the RP1, in collaboration with Apex.[11][12]

Products

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Elemental RP1

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Elemental RP1 at Circuit Paul Ricard

The RP1 is a lightweight, open-top, road-legal sports car produced by Elemental.[13] It was first revealed as a prototype at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2014[6] and a re-engineered production-ready model was presented in 2016.[2][7][14]

The original RP1 was powered by a longitudinally mounted 2.0l Ford EcoBoost engine,[15][3][16] paired with a semi stressed six-speed sequential Hewland gearbox.[5][17] Weighing 620 kg with 320bhp, it had a power-to-weight ratio of 516bhp/ton.[5][18] Later 2.3l engine variants with 375bhp had a power-to-weight ratio of 604bhp/ton.[19] The car accelerates to 60mph in 2.7 seconds and has a top speed of 170mph.[3] It features a carbon fibre tub that weighs 68 kg[19] and meets FIA racing standards. The car has steel subframes at both ends, allowing for easy replacement.[9] It has double wishbone suspension and inboard Nitron dampers at the front and rear.[13][8]

The Elemental RP1 has a weight distribution of 47/53 front to rear. It features a paddle shifting, pneumatic actuated gearbox controlled by the ECU.[8] The vehicle offers up to 400 kg of downforce at 150mph, thanks to deep diffusers at the front and rear. The driving position is feet-up, similar to a single-seat racecar, which enhances the aerodynamics with front and rear diffusers.[9] Later variants of the RP1 use the 2.3l Ford Ecoboost engine with a revised output of 375bhp producing 500 kg of downforce at 150mph.[15] In collaboration with ex-McLaren Formula 1 aerodynamicist Mark Taylor,[20] the RP1 underwent enhancements to its bodywork using computational fluid dynamics, resulting in an increase in downforce to 1000kg at 150mph.[21][11]

The car was reviewed by Autocar in 2015[15][21][13] and deliveries started in 2017.[8]

Endurance racer David Pittard worked with Elemental as a test and development driver before returning to pro racing in 2017.[22]

In October 2023, the Elemental RP1[23][24] became an option on the Xbox 2021 racing game Forza Horizons 5.[25][26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "High performance car built on farm". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  2. ^ a b c "Definitive Elemental RP1 sports car in action at Goodwood". Autocar. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  3. ^ a b c "Elemental RP1 (2017) review". CAR Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  4. ^ "First Drive: Elemental RP1 Reviews 2023". Top Gear. 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  5. ^ a b c "Elemental RP1 Review 2023". Top Gear. 2017-05-03. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  6. ^ a b "The Elemental RP1 showing off at the Goodwood Festival of Speed". imaginelifestyles.com. 2014-06-27. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  7. ^ a b "Elemental RP1: Britain's latest track car ready for production". Motor Authority. 2016-06-14. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  8. ^ a b c d "Elemental RP1 review – could this track day special be a BAC Mono-beater?". evo. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  9. ^ a b c "The Doorless, High-Downforce Elemental Rp1 Is Finally In Production". www.carthrottle.com. 2017-04-12. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  10. ^ "Apex AP-0 revealed as 650hp super-EV". www.pistonheads.com. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  11. ^ a b "Elemental confirms battery-powered RP1 EV". www.pistonheads.com. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  12. ^ "The Elemental RP1 EV could be your new electric track toy". Top Gear. 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  13. ^ a b c "Elemental RP1 review". Autocar. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  14. ^ "Elemental RP1 officially unveiled – ZigWheels". ZigWheels.com. Retrieved 2023-10-28.
  15. ^ a b c "Elemental RP1 gets more power and downforce boost". Autocar. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  16. ^ "Elemental RP1 2017 review". Auto Express. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  17. ^ "Elemental Rp1 Track Day Performance Car Transmission by Hewland". Hewland Transmissions. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  18. ^ "Elemental RP1 gains new 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine". evo. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  19. ^ a b "Caterham 620R v Ariel Atom 3.5 v Elemental Rp1". evo. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  20. ^ "Elemental RP1 targets Nurburgring production car lap record". Autocar. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  21. ^ a b "Updated Elemental RP1 road car now makes 1000kg of downforce". Autocar. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  22. ^ "Get to know the Elemental Rp1". Vehicle Dynamics International. 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  23. ^ Nowacky, John (2023-10-07). "Forza Horizon 5 Series 26 Update: New Cars and Features Revealed". Game Is Hard. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  24. ^ Harrison-Lord, Thomas (2023-10-06). "Four new cars set for Forza Horizon 5's Super Speed Car Pack". Traxion.GG. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  25. ^ Boddy, Zachary (2022-10-06). "Forza Horizon 5 cars: Full car list, new additions, DLC, gifts, and more". Windows Central. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  26. ^ "Buy Forza Horizon 5 Super Speed Car Pack". www.xbox.com. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
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