The history of Lister Cars in England goes back 40 years in GT racing.
Currently they're building the Storm, a Jaguar V12 engined supersportcar
claimed to be capable of 200 mph (320+ km/h) and can carry not just four
adults, but a complete set of golf clubs and trolley. Sounds fascinating
isn't it?
Just don't take a look at the price tag: 219,750 pounds. It's 70,000 more
than a Ferrari 456 GT but this car is far more exclusive: only a dozen or
so leaves the Leatherhead factory every year.
Laurence Pearce, leader of Lister Cars started to realise his dreamcar in
1991.
"We started off with the engine dimensions as the main reference points. Then the windscreen position was added; that gave us the location of the A aand B-post. After that we dropped the gearbox in and put the outer shape on. Having determined these vital points, it was essentially a question of seeing where the rest would go." - said Pearce.
The first prototype was completed in July 1992 and has undergone
consistent, rigorous testing for evaluation and rectification.
The capacity of a stock 5.3-litre V12 powerplant has been increased to an
seven litres with appropriate modifications to the heads. The official
output of the engine is 594 bhp @ 6100 rpm and a torque of 580 lb ft @ 3450
rpm.
It's been driven to the rear wheels via a six-speed Getrag gearbox (it works
in the BMW 850i as well).
The chassis, which bears all this power is made of an aluminium honeycomb
monocoque with bonded-carbon fibre body panels and roof.
The Storm aims to be an everyday supercar. The interior features Connolly
leather, Wilton Carpet, Kenwood sound system and air-conditioning/climate
control and there's a large boot not to mention enough legroom at the rear.
According to road tests the steering isn't so easy on bumpy roads, but who
cares? Take this car to the open, wide (the Sulthan of Brunei has one...)
highway and chase the clouds!
Go back to the index!
Copyright January, 1996.
Paul Negyesi