MAC TO THE FUTURE

Smaller than a Lotus Elise but powered by a 7-litre V8, the Nichols N1A is a homage to the awe-inspiring McLaren M1A Can-Am car of the 1960s - and it's fully road-legal. We strap in

- by RICHARD MEADEN PHOTOGRAPHY by DEAN SMITH

CONCOCT A RECIPE FOR THE MOST EXCITING ROAD-LEGAL sports car you can imagine and you might just come up with the Nichols N1A. Smaller than a Lotus Elise and weighing less than 900kg, it is powered by a mid-mounted 7-litre V8 good for 700bhp. Manual, rear-wheel drive and wrapped in curvaceous composite bodywork harking back to an age before huge spoilers and the obsession with downforce, it embodies the analogue dream.

How did the project come about and who's behind it? As with the origins of most small sports car companies, an idea existed in the head of its founder for many years before the dream became reality. In the case of Brit John Minett, that idea was to capture the spirit of a mid-1960s Can-Am car, specifically the McLaren M1A, and recreate it as a car fit for road and track driving.

Rather than build a straight replica, Minett's vision was to contemporise its design, dimensions, construction and dynamics using modern materials and methods, while preserving its explosive essence with a target weight of comfortably less than a ton while being powered by a ruddy great V8.

A time-served automotive consultant with decades of experience, Minett found a highly qualified collaborator and co-founder in noted F1 engineer and designer Steve Nichols. Principal architect of McLaren's sensational MP4/4, which famously won 15 of the 16 races in the 1988 season in the hands of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, Nichols brought a special blend of capability and kudos to the project, one which sees him in the role of technical director alongside CEO Minett.