Vencer Sarthe

Thirty-eight-year-old Dutch entrepreneur Robert Cobben was just a teenager when he went to Le Mans for the first time in the mid-’80s. Back then, the mighty Porsche 956s and Silk Cut Jaguars ruled the roost at La Sarthe (as it’s known amongst the locals). From that moment, when he saw those prototypes howling down the straight, he knew he would try and build a road car that captured their spirit. Twentyfive years later and here it is: the appropriately named Vencer Sarthe.

In the raw, the Sarthe looks spectacular. It’s long, wide and low, just like a supercar should be. But it’s also distinctive and intriguing because its proportions are so unfamiliar.

Beneath the Sarthe’s Le Mansinspired carbonfibre bodywork lives a Hennessey-tuned 6.3-litre V8 engine from GM, featuring bespoke heads and a supercharger to provide 457kW and 838Nm. The V8 is mated to a Ricardo six-speed manual gearbox the first clue this beast lacks the same electronic trickery of contemporary supercars.

It purposely eschews all the electronics you’d find in fellow Ferraris, Porsches and McLarens. It’s “a road car that is pure to drive and isn’t compromised by electronic interference,” says Cobben.

Surely a car that weighs 1390kg, has 457kW, a fully slippy diff and absolutely no traction control will be a complete maniac of a machine? Not so. Cobben asked Hennessey to make the ultimate power delivery from the V8 as soft as possible to make it manageable.

As a result, the Sarthe feels rapid, yes (hence the 0-60mph [97km/h] claim of 3.6sec), but it doesn’t feel the least bit edgy or recalcitrant on the move. Power and torque flow gradually rather than with a rush, and the throttle response is smooth and well judged.

 The steering is also similarly refined, with sophistication to the way it responds. Ride quality is both soothing and composed for such a small-volume car and I absolutely loved the feel and power of the brakes, which will eventually get ABS.

Traction is good, as is the fundamental balance mid-corner once you’ve got the thing loaded and settled into a bend. On turn-in, however, it does feel a touch too soft. As a result, it feels like it wants to fall over itself unless you’re superdelicate with initial steering inputs.

Other than this, the Sarthe drives every bit as good as it looks. But of all things experienced on this very unique day, the one thing that lingers in my memory is the sound it makes under full load at anything above 2000rpm. An initial deep, guttural rumble develops into a still bass-heavy howl in the midrange, culminating in a confronting earsplitting scream between 5000rpm and the 6800rpm cut out.

The Vencer Sarthe should have no problem reaching a sales target of 12 per year. In fact, thanks to a new dealership in China, one customer has already made the unique, yet pricey, purchase. Given that its £250,000 UK pricetag would translate to around $700,000-plus locally, it might be a harder sell, but then good luck getting your hands on one.

Engine / 6282cc V8, OHV, 16v, supercharger
Power / 457kW @ 6500rpm
Torque / 838Nm @ 4000rpm
Weight / 1470kg
0-97km/h3.6sec (claimed)
Price / $700,000 (estimated)