The roadster that refuses to babysit: Nichols N1A goes on sale
The Nichols N1A is a sub-900 kg roadster with up to 700 hp from a 7.0-liter LS7 V8, a six-speed manual and zero electronic safety nets.
The UK has a new sports car for drivers tired of machines where the electronics argue with the human behind the wheel. The Nichols N1A weighs less than 900 kg, can be ordered with a 700-hp V8 and deliberately skips every modern driver aid.
The project was created by Steve Nichols — the engineer behind the McLaren MP4/1, MP4/3 and the legendary MP4/4 of Formula 1. The N1A took more than four years to develop, and production has been entrusted to Britain’s RML Group. The run is capped at just 100 cars, so this is not a mass-market roadster but near-collectible hardware for buyers who want a manual gearbox, noise, risk and a direct line to the road.
The N1A’s construction is light and expensive: a bonded aluminium and carbon-fibre chassis, carbon body panels and an open cockpit in the spirit of classic racing cars. It weighs less than a Mazda MX-5, but the output is from another universe. The entry version uses a naturally aspirated Chevrolet 6.2 V8 with 475 hp and 637 Nm. The harder spec is the 7.0-litre LS7 with 700 hp and 813 Nm. The flagship reaches 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds.
There is no all-wheel drive, no hybrid layer, no traction control, no active aerodynamics and no attempt to make the power «safe». A six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive and the driver’s right foot — that is the entire philosophy. It reads beautifully in the press release, but in practice it demands experience: with 700 hp and a kerbweight under one tonne, a throttle mistake stops being a theoretical concept.
That said, the N1A is not just «an engine on wheels». Front and rear it carries independent double-wishbone suspension with four-way adjustable dampers. The tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 — 245 mm at the front, 305 mm at the rear. So the bet is not only on straight-line speed but also on handling. In spirit this roadster sits closer to Caterham, Ariel, Ultima and Radical, but with a more expensive presentation and a V8 character.
The price matches the rarity. A standard N1A starts at £450,000 — roughly $604,200. The first 15 cars will form the Icon 88 series at £500,000, or about $671,300. Each one will be dedicated to a McLaren MP4/4 victory from the 1988 Formula 1 season.
Next to Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren, the new Nichols looks not more high-tech but more honest. It does not promise to be the fastest car for every day and does not try to hide how hard it is to drive. People buy it not for comfort but for something rare now — the feeling that the car actually listens to the human instead of correcting them every half second.