It’s the beast from the east, and it’s coming to the UK this summer. This is the Marussia B1, which is the brainchild of Russian TV personality Nikolay Fomenko. His firm, Marussia Motors, has joined forces with Virgin Racing for the team’s second season in Formula One, and it’s hoping to establish itself as the new supercar maker on the block on the back of this project.
The B1 is the first model to arrive, and it’s designed as an alternative choice to cars such as the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo. It has been created in-house by top Russian engineers using the same computing technology as the Virgin F1 team.
The sculpted carbon fibre bodywork is designed to cut cleanly through the air without the need to add spoilers, while the chassis is made from a central aluminium tub with spaceframes front and rear.
Power comes from two engines, either a 300bhp 3.5-litre V6, or a 2.8-litre turbo V6 developed by British motorsport firm Cosworth, which comes with 360bhp or 420bhp.
That may sound modest when compared to its rivals, but with a kerbweight of 1,100kg, the most powerful B1 is capable of 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds, while top speed is limited to 155mph.
Only 2999 examples of the B1 are due to be built, and it will be priced at around £110,000 when it goes on sale in the summer. The firm can sell as many as 250 cars in the UK, while buyers can tailor the car to their own tastes, including conversion to right-hand drive.
Marussia’s next car is the B2, which uses the same chassis and engines as the B1 but with much wilder styling, while the firm will launch the B3 GT racer in the spring.
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