" A power-to-weight ratio double the Bugatti Veyron's, and so much downforce you will be able to drive it upside down in a tunnel at 150mph !!" - Car Magazine May 2006

It's the first project of a new automotive engineering company founded by two engineers who worked on the McLaren F1. With a weight of just 465 kg it has more than 1000 hp/ton.

Ben Scott-Geddes and Graham Halstead were part of the team that developed the McLaren F1. Now they have set up a consultancy company named "Freestream" and created an extreme prototype to show their capabilities.

The aim of the Freestream T1 is to offer a driving experince as close as possible to a Formula-1. To achieve this ambitious goal, the T1 can count on a true racing car chassis and aerodynamics.

With a weight of just 465 kg and a 2.4-litre V8 engine delivering 480 hp, the Freestream T1 is capable of "extremely rapid acceleration as well as 3g cornering and braking performance."

Freestream is going to produce about 25 units per year and the price will be about $284,000 US.

The T1 will go on sale in the late 2006.

In the meantime, a 10-pages pdf brochure can be downloaded from the Freestreamcars.com website.

From the official Press Release:

Two engineers who were part of the elite team that designed and developed the iconic McLaren F1 have set up an automotive engineering consultancy whose first project is an agile 1,000 hp/tonne sportscar, dubbed the Freestream T1.

Developed for road and track, the ultra lightweight 2-seater will offer a near Formula One performance experience comparable to that of a Le Mans prototype with highly resolved aerodynamics and chassis making the vehicle predictably safe and responsive to driver inputs.

Following a year of design and development, founders Ben Scott-Geddes and Graham Halstead expect to launch the $284,000US car later this year.

Interest has already been expressed by half a dozen customers privileged to preview the project and keen to join what will be an exclusive club since the company will only make 25 cars a year for the entire planet. With the first prototype nearing completion the two engineers have moved into brand-new premises that form part of a new automotive business park located at Farnham in Surrey, UK.

Commenting on the inspiration for the Freestream T1 Ben Scott-Geddes said: "We wanted to demonstrate our ability to design from scratch a no-compromise but usable and reliable sports car with the whole vehicle meticulously engineered from the ground up, so as to offer customers a truly unique experience with a full aerodynamic performance package which at present can only be found in a high formula racecar."

Commenting on the critical wind-tunnel testing co-founder Graham Halstead added: "As well as offering a unique racecar performance experience we were equally concerned to make the car as safe as possible. The result is an extremely stable aerodynamic platform to complement its feather weight of 465kg and compact powertrain which delivers 480bhp from a bespoke 2.4-litre V8 F1-specification engine. The driver and passenger will experience extremely rapid acceleration as well as 3g cornering and braking performance."

Freestream official website"Our aim is to move the performance envelope up to current sports-prototype levels thereby setting a new benchmark for a road car exemplified by its agility and handling abilities," said Scott-Geddes.

"We've spoken to enthusiastic owners who have become frustrated and bored with their regular sports and race cars, whose potential is heavily restricted through constrained engineering and race formula regulations. In that respect we've torn up the rule book to give customers what they ultimately desire: a road car with an uncompromised yet safe performance experience."

Further details will be announced closer to the launch. Meanwhile, the company is keeping the Freestream T1 specifications under wraps but has prepared an introductory website at www.freestreamcars.com