Having a space-frame chassis completely clad in ACG's BPS240 carbon fibre body panel system, the Farbio GTS generates a power-to-weight ratio of 366bhp per tonne. However, it's not all down to the materials; some credit must go to the supercharged version of the well-proven Ford 3-litre V6 Duratec engine, which produces 384bhp, and to the low cumulative mass of the vehicle, which is just 1066kg.

This equates to a 0-60mph time of 3.9 seconds, eclipsing the performance of both the Ferrari F430 and the Lamborghini Gallardo. This is particularly impressive when you realize that the price of this stunning sports car is around half that of the Ferrari or the Lamborghini.

The GTS has come a long way since its appearance at the 2004 Birmingham motor show. Significant vehicle engineering development, body construction refinements, composite material developments and new tooling have been combined to enable the GTS development team, led by Chris Marsh, to engineer and deliver a British sports car with an £22M order book.

ACG's BPS240 is a ZPREG® rapid deposition system with its stable, high temperature and integrated surface film capable of producing 'Class A' surfaces, while also maintaining them in service. BPS240 offers enhanced moulding capabilities, excellent and stable surface quality, effective processing benefits and presents a significant cost saving over traditional prepreg technologies. BPS240 panels can be moulded from high quality, low cost composite tooling, thereby reducing manufacturing times by as much as 50% compared to traditional advanced composite materials.

ACG, which is the leader in continuous fibre material technologies into the mainstream Automotive Industry, offers a full turnkey application development package from concept design, through prototype manufacture, process optimisation and production support at the production mould stage.

ACG continues to work with OEMs and their suppliers to develop composite automotive applications, including: full vehicle structures, closures, fully paintable exterior body panels and exterior trim, seat structures and interior trim, all of which save weight, reduce the total programme cost, help to meet emission and safety requirements and enable unprecedented functionality.

ACG has manufacturing facilities in Europe and the United States, where it supplies materials to the global automotive market.

Alex Aucken, Automotive Market Sector Manager, said: "We are pleased to be part of the technology behind the next great British sports car. The Farbio team has utilised our expertise in advanced composite materials for high performance cars, using our low weight materials to create a robust package."

Photo: Courtesy of Flow Images

Photos: Courtesy of Flow Images