TRAMONTANA R EDITION
There's a strong
wind that blows into Spain from the north that's so forceful that legend says
it has an effect on the human psyche, causing some to go mad. The Spaniards
call this wind, which blows across the Ampurdan region of Girona, the
Tramontana. And in Girano, about an hour from Barcelona, a new car company has
been born. The proprietors of this company have obviously been touched by this
mystic wind, for they have created a custom supercar that can only be described
as crazy. This car is most appropriately called the Tramontana R.
At first glance, the
R, which is built on a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis, appears like a weird
cross between a Formula 1 racer and a jet fighter, yet it's much larger than an
actual Grand Prix car, measuring about 193 in. long and 82 in. wide. Also, the
Tramontana R has just been deemed street-legal in Europe, and plans are
underway to make it legal on U.S. roads. The combination of the headlights
mounted to the front wings and the unpainted carbon-fiber body give the R an
insect-like appearance, one whose overall look isn't exactly beautiful, but
mystical like a Salvador Dali painting (who, by the way, is also from the same
region).The wheels and suspension arms at both front and rear are exposed.
A jet-fighter-style
canopy tips open, revealing a 2-seat cockpit where the car's occupants seat
tandem style, the passenger right behind the driver. As I dropped my body into
the bucket seat, I really did get the feeling of being in a jet fighter (I've
been in a jet simulator before), especially when the canopy is slammed shut. A
switch allows the driver to access two levels of power: 550 bhp or the full
720.
Mounted immediately
behind the cockpit is the engine, a Mercedes-Benz twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter
V-12 that unleashes 720 bhp and about 680 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheels.
This allows the car to dash to 60 mph in about 3.5 seconds. While one would
assume this thing to post faster acceleration times, the car is quite heavy,
tipping the scales at around 2800 lb. Why not make it lighter? Simple, the
makers of the Tramontana R intended for the car to be more of a street-legal
Grand Tourer than a race car, so they've included included a number of creature
comforts such as air-conditioning and a high-fi audio system.
