Attempting to build a car to take on the Bugatti Veyron would strike most people as a futile exercise. The 987bhp Veyron was developed by the mighty Volkswagen empire with almost unlimited amounts of money. For Anthony Keating, the British engineer behind the new Keating TKR, it was a case of: the bigger and more expensive they are, the harder they fall.
Making its debut at the MPH show in London this weekend, the TKR arrives fresh from collecting its first scalp, having recorded a claimed top speed of 260.1mph — a full 7mph faster than the Veyron, and 4mph faster than the existing record for road cars, 256.1mph, held by the Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero. The figure was recorded last month at El Mirage in California, but Keating and his creation cannot bask in glory just yet. Man and machine must repeat the feat in the presence of officials from Guinness World Records.
The road-legal TKR’s scorching speed is down to some impressive off-the-shelf components. The car may have a team behind it with a lowly head count of 15, but its firepower is formidable. Behind the two-seat cockpit sits a 7-litre V8 engine from General Motors, which has been fitted with a pair of superchargers and tuned to within an inch of its life. The result is that Keating has coaxed a scarcely believable 1,800bhp out of the V8. Let’s just get that into perspective, shall we? That figure means each cylinder delivers 225bhp, or more than the turbocharged engine found in the Golf GTI.
Carrying the engine is a chassis cast from carbon fibre, an improvement over the steel spaceframes of Keating’s previous models because it’s much lighter. So light, in fact, that the TKR weighs 995kg, making the 1,888kg Veyron look in need of a visit to Fat Fighters, and backing up the company’s claim of a 0-60mph time of less than 3sec.
All this comes at a price; in the TKR’s case, £400,000. It’s a big ask for a company with no pedigree, but for the handful of customers Keating is chasing, the thought of outgunning a Veyron for less than a third of the cost may prove irresistible. On Keating’s part, the car is the fruit of 10 years’ hard labour. He fitted in development of the TKR alongside the running of his electronics company, fulfilling his desire to see a British supercar ranked with the world’s fastest. All Keating has to do now is get himself and his car to the Bonneville Salt Flats next September and prove the TKR does have what it takes to be the world’s undisputed speed king. “We’ll have a 10-mile stretch instead of the four miles at El Mirage. We should do 300mph,” Keating tells us. Buckle up tight.
Keating TKR
Engine 6996cc, V8, twin superchargers
Power 1,800bhp @ 5700rpm
Transmission Five-speed sequential
Fuel/CO2 Not available
Acceleration 0-60mph: less than 3sec
Top speed 260.1mph
Price £400,000
Road tax band M (£405 a year)
Verdict If you want to travel faster, buy a Learjet
Release date On sale now
REF: timesonline.com
