You may not have heard of the Spartan Motor Company, but it’s an Australian company
that builds race cars in Sydney.
Spartan is about to step on to the world stage with a lucrative contract to supply 300 of its
motorsport-focused cars to the UK.
It’s first production model, the aptly named Spartan, is a carbon-bodied, light weight,
immensely powerful machine designed for track days.
More than that, it’s designed with price and simplicity in mind to make motorsport more
accessible to a broader range of enthusiasts.
Spartan is the creation of twin brothers Nick and Peter Pap (Papanicolaou), who have
been trying to get the project off the ground for the best part of 15 years.
The car is a mid-engined, street legal, track-day car that, in ultimate specification,
develops an amazing 425kW per tonne courtesy of a Rotrex supercharged 2.4-litre Honda
K24 powerplant.
It drives through a Quaife six-speed sequential or Honda six-speed manual gearbox, with
braking by AP Racing and active suspension system and programmable TracTive ACE
dampers.
The chassis is not only lightweight but extremely tough with a tubular spaceframe design
that provides superior stiffness.
A complete absence of driver aids ensures a raw seat-of-the-pants drive experience that
feel the brothers were determined to achieve.
You feel the grip through the seat and every ridge and nuance through your fingertips.
That coupled with its amazing mechanical grip makes for the most pure and thrilling
driving experience imaginable.
Two versions of the car are available: a 205kW naturally aspirated model and the 298kW
supercharged edition.
The world-class tubular steel spaceframe chassis exceeds FIA safety standards and is
clothed in ultra-high-quality carbon-fibre bodywork that weighs in at under 20kg.
Spartan is quick by any measure with the 0-100km/h sprint in in supercharged form taking
just 2.5 seconds and a top speed in excess of 250km/h.
Limpet-like roadholding results from optimised aerodynamics that produce 299kg of
downforce at 200km/h and a massive 467kg at 250km/h thanks to its front splitter, rear
diffuser and wing.
With a passion for perfection, Nick and Peter Pap have designed and built a car that has
evolved into one of the quickest and lightest track cars in the world today.
The design is rooted in 1960’s race cars with a modern retro look and styling that is raw
and minimalistic.
It has been born and bred as a true roadster with no roof, no doors and just a small
speedster-style windscreen.
Carbon-fibre body panels with quick-release fasteners, fully adjustable active racing shock
absorbers and exposed suspension components reinforce the aggressive form and
function of the car.
Interestingly, the car can be swapped from right to left-hand drive or vice versa in just 30
minutes.
Prices start from $200,000 for the naturally aspirated model, or $245,000 for the
supercharged.
