Felnio
cB7
The
Felnio corporation is a Canadian company which has been involved in motorsports
for about 10 years. In 2010 they made the decision to develop a bespoke,
two-seat sports car which was purpose-built for the track. However at the same
time would be possible to make the car street legal.
Felnio
is headed up by Antoine Bessette, a career racing driver who in 2005 was
crowned Canadian champion driver by ASN-Canada FIA, the motorsports sanctioning
body in the country. The Felnio cB7 is the result of four years of development,
and although the car is still in the final stages of testing, it’s more or less
ready to go on sale. Felnio will conduct pre-production testing on both the
race track and public roads throughout 2014.
The
Felnio cB7 is a mid-front engined, RWD car based around a tubular spaceframe
chassis with composite and carbon fiber body panels. It weighs in at roughly
1,000 kgs (2,200 lbs) depending on specification. It can be fitted with a 4, 6,
or 8 cylinder engine depending on the buyer’s requirements. An electric-powered
version is also being considered.
The
most powerful version of the Felnio cB7 is fitted with a 6.2 litre V8 which
produces 525 horsepower @ 6,300 rpm, and 489 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm. The
standard transmission is a 6-speed manual, a sequential transmission is
optional. Performance figures haven’t been published yet as the company is
still putting the final touches to the car before official testing.
The
Felnio cB7 features fully adjustable race-derived double wishbone suspension on
all four corners. The braking is provided by 355 mm discs up front with
6-piston calipers, at the rear 355 mm discs are gripped by 4-piston calipers.
Carbon-ceramic brakes are optional.
On
the inside the Felnio cB7 is more business than pleasure. It features a moulded
carbon fiber seat, 6-point harness, quick-release removable steering wheel, an
on-board data acquisition system and optional race suit cooling system.
I
think the appearance of the Felnio cB7 is the only controversial aspect of the
design. It sits bang in the middle of the ‘love it, or hate it’ category of
cars. But whatever you think of it. No one can say it’s boring, generic or a
copy of some other supercar.
Felnio
say the first cars will be available in 2015. The price for the base model is
set to come in under US$ 100,000. The company is looking to primarily market the
car outside of its home country, however a limited series will also be
available within Canada.
