London Motor Show 2008: Mastretta MXT

As Denns mentioned some time ago, the Mastretta MXT was going to be presented at the London Motor Show, and so it was. Although “presented” is a generous word: they simply displayed it without making much noise.

Even so, the MXT you see in the pictures is still a prototype. Its design is different, its own… and it may not be to everyone’s taste. What convinced me least is the design of the cabin (which I would like to see tested in a crash test) and the rear, which looks like a literal section of the bodywork cut perpendicular to the ground.

The orange gives it life, radicalism, energy… although it makes it a little acidic. It incorporates a Ford Duratec 2-litre engine (just look how popular this engine is in independent builds) that produces 240 horsepower.

That is a lot, but not excessive. This is where the weight factor comes in: its aluminium and carbon fibre chassis bring the total weight down to 900 kilograms. Thanks to this, it can do 0-100 km/h in under five seconds and approach 241 km/h.

They plan to produce 150 units a year at Mastretta’s own plant, of which 70% will go to the United States and Europe and 30% will stay in Mexico. In that country it will be sold for about 35,000 euros at the current exchange rate, but in Europe there are rumours the price could rise to 42,000 euros.

I’m glad to see such firm commitment from countries with no tradition in sports cars and no real chance to start an industry of their own. But on the other hand… I feel this little orange thing is still a bit green. A good sports car isn’t achieved with a light chassis and a tuned engine alone. They still have a long way to go and a great deal of reputation to build. And outside Mexico, selling an absolute unknown at that price, offering nothing new beyond exoticism, is not going to make things easier for them.

Photos | Highmotor