Farbio GTS driven

The Farbio GTS is an excellent first effort from this fledgling company. The car is very attractive, and it’s great to drive. Having a Ford engine shouldn’t put people off, as it can still hold its own alongside the similarly priced Porsche 911 and attracts a lot more attention. As long as Farbio can keep its eye on maintaining quality, fit and finish, it won’t be too much of a struggle to sell the 80 cars a year it needs to break even.

Over the years, the sports car market has seen plenty of failed dreams – but that hasn’t prevented one of the most determined entrepreneurs in Britain from having a crack at it.

The Farbio GTS bears testament to Arash Farboud’s dogged determination to build his perfect supercar. And now, nearly five years after the design started life as a model badged the Farboud GTS, it’s ready to drive.

The newcomer certainly looks the part, resembling a mini McLaren F1 from the front three-quarters. Head on, it reminds us of the 1999 Lotus M250 concept car, which isn’t surprising, as the Farbio was originally penned by an anonymous, moonlighting Lotus designer. Unlike other home-spun British sports cars, the panel gaps are tight and consistent, which is encouraging for a pre-production model.

The quality of the fit and finish is down to the Farbio’s bodywork being made entirely from carbon fibre. This has the strength of steel with a fraction of the weight, and is then bonded to a steel chassis. The whole package has been designed for maximum rigidity, which shows when you hit the road.

The GTS is as responsive as any sports car we’ve driven. The steering is superb, and provides precise and detailed feedback from the tarmac. The ride isn’t bad, either, soaking up all but the worst imperfections, while the cabin is impressively rattle free.

As with the rest of the car, the interior is simply designed and well conceived. Quality isn’t on a par with rivals such as Porsche or BMW, but it’s still well put together, with leather sports seats, although the Alcantara headlining and full hide interior is
a hefty £2,265 extra. The dashboard is button-free, and the standard-fit sound system, sat-nav and air-con are all controlled from a central touch- screen, which is easy to use.

The cockpit offers plenty of room and, although there’s no luggage space under the bonnet, the 220-litre boot behind the engine is large enough for a golf bag. The only blemish inside is the amount of road noise, but it’s not a patch on the pounding your ears get in a Lotus Elise.

The 3.0-litre mid-mounted V6 is the unit Ford used in its Mondeo ST220. It’s slotted in behind the driver, and Farbio has made the motor sound unobtrusive when cruising. Accelerate hard, though, and the growl rises to a glorious wail as the revs increase.
Aided by the fact that the lightweight GTS tips the scales at only 1,048kg, the 262bhp petrol engine pulls strongly. But any potential owners after more power will have to wait for the 360bhp supercharged version, due out later this year.

Rival: Porsche 911 Carrera
The benchmark £60,000-plus sports car is still as talented as ever. It’s the ultimate usable supercar, combining mind-boggling performance with the practicality of an everyday runabout.