A rocket was just sold. This unusual car is a mix of 60s F1 design and a 90s supercar.
On September 20, the Bring a Trailer company closed an auction of an extremely rare car for no less than 250,000 euros. This is the vehicle sold Light Car Company Rocket, a model developed by the Light Car Company in the early 1990s. This British car manufacturer, which disappeared in 1998, was founded by Gordon Murray, a famous Formula 1 car designer, and Chris Craft, a racing driver.
The Rocket is the only car to ever leave the Light Car Company’s factories. It was also only produced to the extent of a fifty copies, which makes it a particularly rare model. But most importantly, it is unlike any other car in automotive history. Its special design is deliberately reminiscent of the F1 cars of the 1960s. Except the Rocket was designed for the street.
The Rocket, an unusual mix of a 1960s F1 car and a road car
The rocket has the peculiarity of existing particularly easy. It weighs just 385 kg, well below the usual weight of cars, which is often over a ton. It was developed in part by Gordon Murray, who was the chief designer of the McLaren F1 in the 1990s. He stayed at McLaren until 2004 after proving himself as a designer F1 car designer.
Gordon Murray and Chris Craft have obviously transferred all their passion for racing into this surprising car that is the Rocket. Their goal was to build one light and minimalist sporty. However, the aim was not to create a competition model, but rather a vehicle designed for the road that gives the feeling of driving an F1 car from the 60s. This goal explains the very special mix between Formula 1 and road vehicles that characterizes the Rocket.
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A highly sought after collector car
In terms of design, the Rocket has been reduced to the essentials. It features a tubular steel chassis and an open cockpit without doors. The driver and passengers then have to climb over the body enter. In this respect, the Rocket closely resembles a classic one-posto racing car. In terms of performance, it is equipped with a 1-liter four-cylinder motorcycle engine. Yamaha FZR1000 EXUP.
Certainly this engine is only evolving 143 to 165 hp, far from an F1. However, the Rocket is very light. The weight-to-power ratio is particularly high and the speed of this car is comparable to the super sports cars of the time. Given the rarity of this model, the few existing examples will be retained a handful of collectors. The Rocket is particularly sought after, hence the astronomical price at which the model auctioned via Bring a Trailer was sold on September 20th.