McLaren MP4/4 designer Steve Nichols unveils his ‘Can-AM car for the road’ N1A
A continuation car for the Can-Am connoisseur has arrived in the form of the Nichols N1A
McLaren influence is clear in design from the board of ex-F1 wizard Steve Nichols
Olgun Kordal
A new supercar for the road claims to have its roots in both Formula 1 and Can-Am.
Petersfield-based Nichols Cars, co-founded by renowned McLaren F1 engineer and designer Steve Nichols, has revealed its N1A.
The man who worked with both John Barnard and Gordon Murray on some of the greatest F1 cars during McLaren’s halcyon 1980s has drawn on his racing experience to produce a car that also borrows heavily from McLaren’s formative M1A Can-Am contender. Indeed, the name of the mid-engined car itself is a clear reference to the 1960s sports racer.
The N1A eschews sophistication to give the driver genuine 1960s excitement
The N1A packs a 7-litre aluminium V8 into its lightweight chassis. The entire package weighs just 900kg, with a power-to-weight ratio of almost 700bhp/tonne.
The first 15 built will be an individually numbered series to mark each of the grand prix wins for the MP4/4, the McLaren in which Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna won 15 of 16 races in 1988, and for which Nichols claims co-credit with Murray.
With only “minimal driving aids’” and no price stated (if you have to ask, you likely can’t afford it), the Nichols N1A should appeal as a discerning drivers’ car.