Jalopnik
Mr. Vader, the latest in your ever expanding fleet has arrived. We thought the Spadaconcept Codatronica was but a glimmer in the eye of some crazy Italians. After months of development work and the creation of a production company, Spadavetturesport has announced production readiness for the Spada TS Codatronca. The car is a masterwork of stealth combined with aerodynamics, menace with purpose. Clad in black with an aluminum V8 sporting 630 HP and 492 lb.ft. of torque, the terror from Torino can top out at 211 MPH.
Clear For Approach Red Leader
Aside from the obvious 'holy-crap-that's-crazy' bodywork, this car features details rarely — if ever — seen on cars of any era, much less new ones. First, and the one we love the most, is the Pitot-static tube mounted on the roof. It takes engineers to decide the best way to determine high speeds is to measure stagnation against ambient pressure. The car also has an internally regulated, kinetically charged lap watch for visual measurement, even though it can record up to 40 laps of telemetry data for analysis after a run. Traction control comes at three different levels: attentive nanny, annoyed boss, and teenage babysitter, so you can go digging into the deepest recesses of the cookie jar. There's just so much good stuff packed into this car press release. we just hope it's not some kind of ultimate vaporware experiment. That would make us very, very sad. We still don't know what this rig costs, but we assume it's in the range of "If you have to ask you don't want to know." Business and technical press release below. (Thanks Martin!)
FORMAL PRESS RELEASE[After three months of tests and trials Spadaconcept - the
Italian design studio founded by Paolo Spada (former designer at
Smart and Honda) together with his father Ercole, (former chief
designer at Zagato and BMW), Domiziano Boschi (former Mc Kinsey) and
Wojtek Sokolowski - has launched the production of its supercar, the
Spada TS Codatronca. With this car Spadaconcept cherishes and revives
the important heritage of Ercole Spada and the philosophy which
characterized each of his creations. The company's vision is centered
on "functional design", which, according to Ercole Spada, means to
allow functionality of an object to express itself through its shape.
Following this vision Spadaconcept came up with a genuinely breaking
product, something bold an daring. Far from creating a show car where
anything is allowed, Spadaconcept has worked within strict
feasibility constraints in order to reach the quality standards of a
niche, handcrafted production, maximizing performance by introducing
aerodynamic lines such to mould a light and essential body. The
result is an extremely stable and manageable car, able to achieve
good racing performances by exploiting at the best the power of its
engine, with an original and nimble shape and essential but elegant
interiors.
The first version, named TS (Turismo Sportivo), is a car with an
aspired engine of more than 600-horse with race performances. Despite
the focus at Spadaconcept wasn't on "pure" power but rather on
aerodynamics, lightness and handling, this car can still reach more
than 340 km/h and complies with the FIA GT1 regulations. Care for
environmental issues has resulted in SpadaVettureSport's decision to
add to the menu an ad hoc "converter kit" which allows fueling the
car with E85 green fuel, with a slight increase in torque and power.
With this new sport car Spadaconcept aims at reviving the
philosophy that inspired Ercole Spada's past models, in an attempt to combine aesthetics with functionality and racing performances. This
new model is the latest evolutionary step of the truncated tail -
"coda tronca" in Italian. The typical and aerodynamic shape which
Spada had introduced with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ, TZ1 and TZ2 in
the 60's - gives this new car unique and nimble lines which bring in
lightness and aerodynamics improving performances.
TS Codatronca, will be produced and marketed by
SpadaVettureSport - a company created and controlled by Spadaconcept
- in collaboration with a team of selected technical, industrial and
commercial partners. SpadaVettureSport has aggregated the highest
profile resources around this project by establishing strategic
alliances mainly with small firms located in the district of Turin
with great past histories and amazing skills. These partners have
great tradition and specialization and allow SpadaVettureSport to
combine the "best of breed" in technology with the tradition and
"saper fare" - i.e. the Italian for know how - of Italian small
firms. The industrial partner FS Group (a firm based near Turin, who
has already realized prototypes for Mercedes, Smart, Range Rover)
will realize the body, using material supplied by Elantas Camattini,
and PPG. The partner Italtecnica (a small firm located in Cambiano,
near Turin, already involved in the tuning of Paris-Dakar and Le mans
cars for Peugeot) will work on braking system, suspensions and engine
upgrade, Sparco - the manufacturer of tuning products based in Turin
- will supply seats and other interior items, Pirelli and OZ Racing
will provide respectively tires and wheels.
For the launch of this supercar SpadaVettureSport has signed a
co-branding and co-marketing agreement with AZNOM, a small company
based in Monza operating in the production of accessories and luxury
items, who will realise and market a line of amenities with the
Codatronca brand. The agreement signed by SpadaVettureSport and AZNOM
has a long term perspective and involves joint efforts to approach
the market.
The Codatronca TS version will be presented in world première
next spring in Montecarlo. According to SpadaVettureSport the TS
version is a first step which will be shortly followed by others
upcoming. The more powerful TSS version - Turismo Super Sportivo -
which is already under test at SpadaVettureSport, will be launched at
the end of 2008. In order to realise this unique model Spadaconcept
and SpadaVettureSport have put in place a manufacturing system such
as to meet the quality standards typical of niche, handcrafted
production.
In the present of Spadaconcept there is a strong focus on the
core business - consulting and design of niche cars, motorbikes and
accessories like helmets, seats, etc. - but looking to the future,
the company has started to explore new fields, especially bio-ethanol
powered cars and it is currently working in the development of an
Environmental Friendly Vehicle (EFV).TECHNICAL PRESS RELEASE
Spada Vetture Sport is glad to announce the manufacturing of the
brand new Codatronca TS . Disclosed on April 24th during the Top
Marques Monaco ( The Luxury and Supercar Show) as a world
premiérè, collecting a big success from the international press
and also from the crowd of people present at the event.
Discovered during the Top Marques opening by the ex-car driver and
F1® Champion Damon Hill it was elected most beautiful car of the
exhibition also by the prestigious New York Time daily Magazine.
Codatronca it's born by the pencil of Ercole and Paolo Spada, the
guide lines that has characterized the project of these new car
are: aerodynamics, lightness, and pleasure of driving. The same
guide lines that portrayed most of the project of Ercole Spada,
like the mythical tz1 and tz2, were characterize by the back
shape called "codatronca".
The Codatronca TS is proposed with different engine that can
works, in the states were it's present, with BioFuel E85. The
engine has mecchanic and electronic components developed
respecting the specification of the project needs, in this way
we've obtained from the V8, in aluminium of more than 7lt with a
dry sump, with a power of 630hp at 6500 rpm, with an incredible
torque of 668Nm at 4800 rpm.
The power is transmitted to the ground by the rear wheels thanks
to a 6 gear close ratio transmission with a specific range also at the 6th
gear to the limit of 7000 rpm that push the codatronca at
340Km/h with an acceleration from 0 to 100Km/h of only 3,4 sec.
The designers gave more importance to the pleasure of driving
instead of speed record, in the perfect style of the gentleman
driver.
For support that performance, the codatronca is fitted with a
traction control on 3 level of action that progressively excludes
only the traction control and after another push leaving the car
to the bare control of its lucky owner.
For a better check of the car's data, Codatronca has an equipment
that can record since 80 hours of telemetry on track, with 40
active channel (steering angle, g meter longitudinal and lateral,
sinlge speed for each tyre, lap timer and gps tracking system for
track trajectories and lots more)
The chassis is a light and stiff aluminium tubular with a roll bar
cage combined for offer the maximum protection also when it's
driven on track. The bodywork is made of light and resistant fibre
that cover the chassis and the mechanics parts.
The suspension are completely adjustable like the one of the
racing cars. A big news is represented by the possibility of set
up the anti-roll bar on the front and on the rear separately on 4
level of hardness: rain, soft, medium and hard with an on-board
regulation.
In that way the wheel can work at its best and the suspension in
every condition, especially when the car is on track due to the
selection of harden or soften the axles for a perfect grip.
The wheels are the Pirelli Pzero Corsa, with size 285/35/19'' for
the front wheels and 345/35/19'' for the back wheels.
The rims are of 19'' by Oz, these were chosen to assure that the
shoulder tyres transmit best the drive feelings of this fantastic
tyres.
The braking system is Brembo with racing 8 pistons aluminium
calipers on the front with discs of 380mm and with 4 pistons
aluminium calipers with discs of 355mm on the rear; governed by an
Abs system of the latest generation.
The aerodynamics shape of the car is represented by a low value of
cx, measures are a length of 4659mm, a width of 1942mm and a
height of 1235mm. The weight is very low, just 1360Kg for a unique
pleasure of drive.
The Codatronca® shape of the back gave the possibility to the
designer, to create a perfect 400 litre trunk, flawless for two
people, and customizable with a suitcase set purposely made by
Aznom srl. The cockpit is bright and roomy and it's provided of a
technological air-conditioner system and a perfect acoustic, the
back view is assured by a rear view camera.
Inside we can find the watch designed by Meccanicheveloci with
automatic recharge, a taste of the Italian's craftmenship..
The car is available at SpadaVettureSport in a limited number
every year.
