Beck LM 800: Auto Insanity

Motoring Channel Staff - 23/Jan/2007

Vienna, Switzerland — The Swiss car industry isn't about to set any export records with a bevy of mainstream minicars, but the small European country is delivering an increasing number of niche vehicles, namely super cars.

Along with design group Rinspeed, this new super car company from Switzerland recently showed off its new aerodynamic wonder at the Luxus Motor Show in Vienna in early January, 2007.

The company behind this high power sports car is Beck Engineering & Composits GmbH, and the car is called the Beck LM 800.

Displaying an exterior style that a little bit different - where function comes before form - it's performance is mind-blowing. The vehicle weighs less than a tonne (believed to be around 900kg, which includes fuel and the driver), and is powered by a turbocharged 4.2-litre V8 outputting 650 horsepower or about 478kW in its basic tune.

The Beck LM V8 engine is tuned by MTM, which would suggest the engine is an Audi block, which bodes well for the car's longevity.

The Swiss marque is also expected to offer a tricked up version outputting somewhere in the vicinity of 1000 metric horsepower, which is about 735kW. And when the car weighs 900kg and features a highly aerodynamic design, the real world performance levels are expected to be catastrophic.

No zero to 100km/h figures have been officially released by the Swiss company, but 3.0 seconds would be understandable based on the power-to-weight ratio and the 7-speed automated manual gearbox. A top speed of 217mph has been rumoured, which is a breath-taking 350km/h.

The company behind this fantastically quick road car is a small Swiss manufacturer that specialises in the production of top class, super sports cars, and the company is hoping to attract the attention of wealthy car collectors and those who enjoy driving extreme performance cars. 

Beck Engineering & Composits says the main features on the LM 800 are the lightweight construction and the associated use of the most varied of low-density materials, such as aluminium, magnesium, titanium, as well as the latest plastic and composite materials – including Kevlar. If exotic materials are your thing, you will love this car.

The company gets its name from René Beck, who can look back on a history of over 20 years in the construction of prototypes and vehicles. The Swiss company explains that even when he was a schoolboy, he was already working with home-made sports cars, and it is said that his motto back then is still the same now: "We start at the point where others have already given up."

Much in the fields of lightweight construction and highly refined aerodynamics has been borrowed from nature says the Swiss car maker, as nature always demonstrates an enormously high level of efficiency in all its 'designs'. Also, some solutions have their origins in Formula 1 when it comes to both technical components and the construction methods used in the car.

To start with, the LM 800's very low drag coefficient resulted from a reduction in the cross-sectional area of the vehicle to an absolute minimum. There is no superfluous material to impede the lines, so that the consistent implementation of "form follows function" has led to a very special appearance with its own technically and performance-orientated aesthetic. It may not be the most attractive sports car to arise from Europe, but on road its actions speak loudest.

The Beck LM 800 is a car that imparts a feeling of pure enjoyment for the pilot, and has optimal driving characteristics thanks to its advanced, electronically controlled chassis, and it has enormous power reserves at its disposal as a result of its very light weight. 

The Swiss company also created the car via modular construction and  because it features a telescopic jacking system, claiming the vehicle is very easy to maintain compared to other exotic cars.

The basic construction of the car is similar to a Formula 1 racing car with a central monocoque made of composite materials that protect the driver and provide the necessary rigidity for turning and acceleration/deceleration. Fixed to this are the engine and gearbox support, as well as the front transverse control arms of the chassis.

The central monocoque takes all the static load and provides the car with its necessary rigidity and is made up from an aluminium frame and the latest composite materials. The same material mix of carbon, Kevlar and aluminium that is used for the monocoque is also used for various bodywork parts, and this has the big advantage of adhering to new regulations governing personal protection.

All attachment parts are made of a high-strength aluminium alloy, milled out of solid pieces and which undergo surface treatment and are then power coated. The top four layers of the visible parts of the LM 800 are made of carbon and the fabric and leather covered components are made of 100% Kevlar. All parts are screwed and/or glued together says the company, while the ergonomically shaped seats are made of several layers of Kevlar which are then well upholstered.

The digital instruments satisfy the toughest demands, such as those encountered on the race track, and the car has an electronically controlled, hydraulic active chassis, as normally used in Formula 1 cars, which reacts to all telemetry data on the run providing the car with optimum levels of traction and grip. The wheels are also made from specially manufactured aluminium parts, milled out of solid pieces and then power coated, while the built-in pneumatic jacking system will be favoured by those who like driving road cars at the race track, as it makes tyre changes more efficient. This innovative feature has been approved for street use in Europe (it is normally used on racing cars).

The engine is a V8 with a displacement of 4.2 litres, also equipped with a turbo-charger that has been specially produced for the Beck LM 800. A semi-sequential, 7-speed gearbox ensures smooth power transmission to the wheels via a limited slip differential, with the base models outputting 478kW (650hp) at around 8000rpm. Torque is rated at an atom-splitting 900Nm @ 5000rpm and gear changes take place either with a conventional gearstick or using a steering wheel mounted switches.

Each model sold will be tailored to the specific customers needs, and the price for the basic version of the Beck LM GTR is 750,000 Swiss Francs, or about A$762,000.