If you haven’t heard of Zenos yet it’s because the company is relatively new to the car world – having only unveiled their first model – the E10 – at the Autosport International show in 2014.
Their aim is to build affordable, road legal track cars and although the company is in its infancy, its owners have firm roots in the car and motorsport industry.
Zenos
Zenos was started by Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards, previously CEO and COO of Caterham Cars – so I think it’s safe to say they have a fair idea what they’re doing! Unlike many small start-ups who design a car and then fall by the way side, Zenos have a clear idea of what it is they want to achieve and how they are going to go about it.
The E10 is the first of four models they have scheduled for release over the next few years – which is extremely ambitious for a start-up. However, so far they have achieved what they set out to do, with their second model the E10S being launched at the 2015 Autosport International Show – precisely one year after the unveiling of the E10.
Tech/Spec
In December I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to test drive a prototype of Zenos’ first model (the E10) at Silverstone.
The first thing to note about the car is that it is extremely light weight – barely registering on the scales at around 700kg – all thanks to its hybrid monocoque chassis, which is encased in light weight body panels made from recycled carbon fibre.
Propelling the light weight sports car is a mid-mounted normally aspirated 2-litre, 16 valve 4 cylinder unit made by Ford, which produces 200bhp and 210 NM of torque – giving it an estimated 0-60mph time of just 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 135mph.
A transversely mounted 5 speed gearbox helps deliver the power and in terms of handling, the car comes equipped with a double wishbone suspension setup with Bilstein dampers.
Price
So how much will all of this set you back? Prices for the E10 start at £24,995 and thanks to the Ford components throughout the car, servicing or replacing parts has been made easier and more cost effective for customers.
So how does all of this translate into real world driving?
I took the E10 for a drive on a mixture of A and B roads and the 2-litre engine provided more than enough power for an enjoyable drive. I found the handling wasn’t overly firm on the country roads yet very capable on the track – this was a conscious choice made by Zenos as they want customers to enjoy the car on both the track and road – which wouldn’t be possible with an overly firm set-up.
After a short time behind the wheel of the car I found the handling to be very predictable and I say that in the best possible way.
While an unpredictable sports car can be exciting to drive it can also mean you find your limit rather quickly, whereas with the E10 the more I drove it the more I wanted to push it on – it inspired confidence in my driving.
I liked the simplistic driver focused interior in the car, the seating position is low and it’s surprisingly comfortable and spacious in the cabin. The controls have been carefully placed around the driver and the electronic dials on the dash were clear and concise, giving me all the information I could need or want.
Although the prototype version I drove had a stripped back interior, Zenos assured me that the finish in customer cars is to an extremely high standard.
They will happily meet a customer’s needs in terms of customising interior/exterior finishes or colours and there is no end to the optional extras that can be added to the cars.
Overall verdict
My overall impression of the car was a good one, the E10 does exactly what it was designed to do which is to offer an exciting driving experience for a reasonable amount of money. It’s quick, light weight and could easily contend with the other cars that were zooming around Silverstone on the day of my test drive.
One thing I wasn’t overly keen on when driving the E10 was the lack of a windshield – it was a cold day in December when I drove the car so a warm coat, hat and gloves were essential (and even then I was still pretty chilly).
Obviously there will be customers who will prefer the thrill of driving a car without a windscreen, though for those like myself who prefer a bit of protection from the elements, Zenos have provided a solution in the form of a windscreen which will be present on the new production ready E10S.
The design team also informed me that a rain cover would be available for customers who opt for a windscreen, meaning they can remain dry if the weather decides to take a turn for the worst.
So far, things seem to be going well for Zenos, they have delivered on everything they said they would and customers are now placing orders and putting down deposits as a result of this.
The E10 is an exciting and affordable addition to this sector of the sports car market and I look forward to seeing their future projects in the form of the E11 and E12.
