Keating TKR: World's Fastest Car? By Feann Torr & Motoring Channel Staff - 28/Apr/2008 | 
The Keating TKR is expected to
break records left, right & centre
Powered by a mid-mounted twin turbo engine,
the rear-wheel drive Keating TKR will make its
maiden drive later in the year, to pip 414km/h
|
Southport, England —
North of Liverpool in Merseyside resides Keating, a small British super
car firm that looks set to make a name for itself with its new design,
the TKR. A
few years ago the Bugatti Veyron was the speed king with a top speed of
just over 400km/h. More recently the French car was deposed by the SSC
Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo, which almost reached 414km/h in one run. But
now there's another challenger for the title of world's fastest car
which is expected to reach speeds of more than 430km/h (270mph). The
British-built Keating TKR track car will be the challenger, but the SKR
street car is the slightly-less-insane and street legal model. With
honed aerodynamic shapes which allow them to battle the incredible
levels of wind resistance at higher speeds, which is ultimately the
biggest barrier to a high top speed, Keating's SKR super car will be
powered by LS2 and LS7 engines, similar to what the Australian HSV
range uses. Getting the show started in the Keating SKR super car
is either a 6.0- or 7.0-litre V8 engine, supplied by GM, which can both
be ordered in either naturally aspirated or supercharged guises,
outputting between 301kW (404hp) and 489kW (656hp). Measuring
4.31 metres long these rear-wheel drive Keating super cars are shorter
than even an Audi A4, and much lower too at 1.15 metres tall. The
British company is currently taking orders for the new street-legal SKR
super cars, with owners able to drive their dream machines by the end
of 2008. The world-record breaking aspirant, the TKR, is still being developed. Weighing
just 1190kg and outputting around 1118 kilowatts (1500hp) - more power
than a quartet of Falcon XR6 Turbo engines - the Keating TKR is
powered by a twin turbo motor powering the rear wheels and is
likely to propel it to a top speed of more than 430km/h, which
would be a Guinness World Record. Specifics on the TKR's engine are hazy, but it could be a twin-turbo version of the LS7 7.0-litre V8. |
