[REVIEW] GTA Spano - a Spanish wolf [VIDEO] - AllCarIndex
The GTA name first appeared on the radar of the low-volume high-performance supercars in February of 2008. However the development of it began in 2006. The new European supercar is a brainchild of Domingo Ochoa - the founder of owner of the GTA company. Having three essential criterions - perfect sportsmanship, elegance and exclusivity - as the basis, an objective to build a world-class supersportscar was born. An unnamed coupe proposal was intended to have a V10 an engine developing 700 hp and develop a top speed of 340+ km/h (210+ mph). As it often happens for small manufacturers, the project could have fallen silent. However, the GTA Motor company which has 15 year experience of motorsports one year after this public announcement released the statement, claiming that the GTA Concept (as it was originally codenamed), is ready for it official launch. This was a truth since the GTA's supercar officialy named Spano was premiered in Valencia at the end of April, 2009. It was powered by a 8.3-liter V10 engine capable of 780 hp.
It is worth noticing that the Spano - Valencian supercar - was designed by a Valencian-born designer - Sento Pallardó. The exterior design features including two large air intakes in front, two side intakes, rounded doors, panoramic glass roof and sloping roof line towards the rear end makes it look unique among the other cars of the same kind. The interior of car appears to be minimalistic but not spartan. The use of high-quality materials such as leather and carbon fibre makes it look properly. The central console is equipped with an LCD monitor which provides all the necessary information and enables the driver to adjust the height of the bodywork, rear wing and opacity of the glass roof. The other noteworthy fact is that the Spano has two boots: 100litre front one and a 200litre rear one.
The technical side of the new Spanish road rocket is adequate. The final versions is equipped with 8.3-liter V10 developing 820 hp and 960 Nm of torque at maximum. A claimed top sped is 350+ km/h an the 0-100 acceleration takes 2.9 seconds. Together with this powerful aggregate a choice of two gearboxes is available: an automatically sequential 7 speed with a paddle shift steering wheel or manual sequential.
The outstanding performance of the Spano is achieved not only with a powerful engine but also with the extensive usage of lightweight materials. For example, the chassis of the car has been built completely out of carbon fibre, titanium and Kevlar. This results in a total weight of just 1350 kg.
Another exclusive feature of the Spano is the tires that have been exclusivelly manufactured by Pirelli. They are 255/35 R19 in front wheel and 335/30 R20 on the rear wheels.
Being a rare example of Spanish automotive awareness the Spano represents the dawn of the modern sportscar manufacturing of this country. In fact, the number of current Spanish sportscar manufacturers can be easily counted on the fingers. The best examples that represent this category are Tramontana, SunRed SR08, Comarth Xtamy, IFR Aspid, Linx and, of course, the GTA Spano.
What concerns the production figures and availability, the Spano is intended for the passionate and enthusiastic clientele from China, United Arab Emirates, USA, Russia, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong and New Zealand. The GTA Motor company has already announced a plan to build a strictly limited series of just 99 examples of this supersportscar so it is obvious the GTA Spano will be a rarity to own, to drive, to enjoy.
pictures and video: GTA Motor