As conditions go they couldn't be much worse for testing the most hardcore Zenos yet spun off the E10 platform. This
new R
has 350hp. It weighs well under a tonne. It doesn't have a roof, windscreen, ABS or traction control. It's tanking it down, the Norfolk roads we're driving on are slick with wet mud, it's dark, the visor on my helmet is misted up and, just before we left, Zenos development man Chris Weston cheerfully told me more than 50 per cent throttle will spin up the wheels in everything up to fourth gear. Brilliant.
Weighing in less than an S1 Elise
The Lotus comparisons are inevitable given Zenos's proximity to Hethel, the fact many of its key employees all used to work there and the E10's positioning. But to put it into context the E10 R weighs less than the
bare bones S1 Elise
but has the same power as its most extreme modern interpretation, the
Exige Sport 350
. Its 500hp-per-tonne power to (dry) weight ratio matches that of the
forthcoming 3-Eleven
but it costs half as much and doesn't have nearly as much rubber on its wheels or aero to push them down onto the road. On paper it has the potential, therefore, to be a right handful.
If much more than 25 per cent throttle is deployed in the extent of our winter test drive it would be surprising. But here's the really shocking thing about the E10 R. Even driven at this lily-livered pace it's still huge fun. If the E10 was an impressive opening gambit and the turbocharged S realisation of what the car was really capable of this R is the moment Zenos gets serious. To put it another way, the E10 is fun, the S exciting and the R just a little bit scary. But in an entirely good way.
Got to hold on to that Alcantara wrapped wheel
In these conditions there's a constant sense of huge untapped potential. And opportunity for trouble, given sufficient extension of right foot. But even when left untapped the R is massively exciting, the knowledge you're barely scratching the surface somehow inspiring rather than frustrating.
Thank focus on the details like throttle response, pedal weights and a new, faster and slicker gearshift linkage for this. There's so much torque in the new 2.3-litre Ecoboost engine - same as that in the Mustang, related to the twinscroll turbo version in the new Focus RS - Weston jokes you don't actually need to change gear. And he's right. Third will pretty much cover all bases, at least on the road.
But the pedal position is so good, the throttle response so crisp and the gearchange now so positive you just want to stir it around, gratuitous blipping unleashing thrilling gulps of induction air and barks from the exhaust. Sure, it's a third gear corner. But it's louder and more fun as a downshift-to-second-and-nail-it corner.
Quite a crowded market now
Even in these conditions you're happy to do so without too much fear of things going a bit backwards through a hedge - an Atom's hairtrigger responses in similar conditions would be rather more of a handful, a hot Caterham wild but traction limited. Throttle response is excellent but smooth enough not to spin up the rear wheels as soon as your foot touches the pedal, there being a finely balanced combination of turbocharged thrust without any sense of lag. The meat of the additional capacity is felt in the mid-range too. It's all the more impressive when you hear Zenos only got its hands on this new 2.3-litre engine in October and the process of mapping it safely to this power output took a matter of hours. Yes, hours.
As such it's a case of the rest of the car perhaps needing to catch up a little. This development car is running a stock suspension set-up Weston reckons could benefit from a little firming up to cope with the additional forces the performance puts through the chassis. We'll have to give him the benefit of experience on that, given he's driven it in the dry and on a track with more run-off (and less oncoming traffic) than your average Norfolk B-road. It's still got an open diff too, a locker having been tested on the S but spoiling the delicate balance according to Weston. And if that sounds a familiar mantra don't be surprised - a mindset schooled up the road at Lotus clearly still inspires much of the thinking of the former Hethel men now working at Zenos.
This is a first taste of the R but from the bustling sense of activity at the factory to the much improved fit and finish of even this pre-production R you get a real sense of a company hitting its stride. The previously reported departure of co-founder Ansar Ali is an emotional blow but, from the business and product side, Zenos appears to be going from strength to strength. We look forward to another go in the R with a little more space to enjoy the upper reaches of its performance some time soon!
ZENOS E10 R
Engine: 2,261cc, 4-cyl turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 350@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 350@4,000rpm
0-60mph: 3.0sec (estimated)
Top Speed: 155mph (estimated)
Weight: 700kg (dry)
MPG: N/A (NEDC combined)
CO2: N/A g/km
Price: £39,995 (£43,995 as tested for limited production Drive Edition with following options as standard - one-way adjustable Bilstein dampers; quick-release steering wheel; carbon fibre seats; six-point harnesses; 'Black Pack' inc. black anodised 'spine'; short-shift gearlever; carbon leather interior; uprated brake master cylinder; Charged Graphite body panels; Drive decal set - further options available, see Zenos website for details, all prices inc. IVA and VAT, not including OTR charges or delivery)
