Rossion Q1 in Auto Blog

Here's one of quite a few more write-ups you'll be seeing on the Rossion Q1 as they expand their brand recognition.

 

http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/first-drive-rossion-q1/#29

 

AutoBlog_RossionQ1_082609.pdf

is that paint close to verde ithaca?

is that paint close to verde ithaca?

 

Yes. For those of you who met my friend Sean on the gathering 3 weeks ago, that is his car which is being delivered as I write. We now have 2 Rossions on Miami Beach

 

I just found out that they are almost 1 year into U.S. orders, which will get even more backed up as Road and Track just did very positive review on it as well which will be in the Nov, 2009 edition.

that is awesome!! tell Sean i said congrats!!

I was tempted to get one of these. Price is about $100k for supercar performance. At the end of the day it is still a kit car (to me at least) and I just couldn't do it.

 

I do like the way it looks though.

I was tempted to get one of these. Price is about $100k for supercar performance. At the end of the day it is still a kit car (to me at least) and I just couldn't do it.

 

I do like the way it looks though.

 

Technically, it's not a kit car. It's a component car. Kit cars like the Ultima and Factory Five cars come in boxes and are assembled by either purchaser or a speed shop. Nobles, Rossions and even Superformance cars are purchased as complete rolling chassis. The only assembly required is the powerplant installation. In fact, Nobles were sold as complete cars in the rest of the world.

 

Noble skirted the U.S. emission and safety specifications by going the component car route. Development cost to meet those requirements would have proven prohibitive, and the car would not have been brought to the States otherwise. For those concerned about heritage, pedigree and name recognition the Rossion may not be their cup of tea. However, those who want a lightweight sports car with staggering performance it's hard to beat. Especially for its price point.

Technically, it's not a kit car. It's a component car. Kit cars like the Ultima and Factory Five cars come in boxes and are assembled by either purchaser or a speed shop. Nobles, Rossions and even Superformance cars are purchased as complete rolling chassis. The only assembly required is the powerplant installation. In fact, Nobles were sold as complete cars in the rest of the world.

 

Noble skirted the U.S. emission and safety specifications by going the component car route. Development cost to meet those requirements would have proven prohibitive, and the car would not have been brought to the States otherwise. For those concerned about heritage, pedigree and name recognition the Rossion may not be their cup of tea. However, those who want a lightweight sports car with staggering performance it's hard to beat. Especially for its price point.

 

Well said Evile... saved me some typing. Keep in mind that due to it's not having ABS or other electronic aids, it's not legal to be sold as a production vehicle in the U.S., but it's legal every where else in the world, just like the Noble. I for one do SCCA, NASA, etc., as a hobby, and I can personally attest to the dangers of ABS on the track (lost my last ride due to ABS failure on the track...). Getting away from teh track thing though, it's safer and more reliable than most exotics on the road (Full steel roll cage and structural door beams). The "loop-hole" so to speak, is to have the purchaser "sign and pay" a 3rd party (which actually has a certified build completion agreement with Rossion), in this case American Speed Factory (The U.S. Ferrari Race teams' technical engineers and race instructors), to simply "drop-in" the engine and drive-train. All cars have the same installs. It is then sent back to Rossion HQ where it is finished and tested. You get the car 'delivered from and by Rossion Automotive'.

 

They've already sold one year of their total annual allocation, and with a production limit of only 48 U.S. examples per year, you can't get much more rare and unique than that. I can't tell you the attention this car gets, and I could really careless, as I'm in it for the performance and just love the design. Even better, as Rossion releases upgrades and improvements to the car, it's all retro-fit to the existing Q1's, so it always has the capability to improve with time. IMO, it drives like nothing else, but if I were to compare it, I'd say a combo between the Lotus Exige and Lambo Gallardo SL, +++. Some of the local Lambo guys visited Rossion at our last gathering and were quite impressed.

 

In the end, it's like any other of the brand race-prepped versions(Lambo G SL, F-Car Scud, P-Car GT3), but with some seriously staggering numbers.... as of late, these are the stock stats:

 

0-60: 3.1 (Autoblog 3.2)

0-100: 7.4 (Autoblog 7.5)

1/4 Mile: 11.0 at 124 (Autoblog 11.1 @ 120)

Top Speed: 185 but I'd say this is debatable, as it's drag limited and I know they are going on M400 Numbers. With the new aero and higher HP, I'd say more around 192, but then it gets gear limited I believe. Conditions are also a factor.

So its a lotus elise that looks like a noble?

So its a lotus elise that looks like a noble?

 

 

BTW, Sko, when are you making that special trip you mentioned to the Promised land of South Beach!? You should get your ass down here for that Oct 10th run to Naples we're doing... If you get here a day or two early, we can take you partying to Chuckee Cheez South Beach

 

BTW, Sko, when are you making that special trip you mentioned to the Promised land of South Beach!? You should get your ass down here for that Oct 10th run to Naples we're doing... If you get here a day or two early, we can take you partying to Chuckee Cheez South Beach

HAHA JK man. Lets see if I survive this vegas trip and then I can see about some fun in south beach