Garagisti & Co. GP1 is a V12-powered hypercar from an all-new brand
Say hello to Garagisti & Co, a new British brand which hopes to blend ‘tradition, innovation and engineering’ to achieve ‘driving purity’.
Garagisti’s first effort is the GP1, a 6.6-litre V12-powered hypercar with a 6-speed manual gearbox, carbon monocoque chassis, and a dry weight of 1,000kg. The model was designed by former Rimac and Bugatti man Angel Guerra, and the brand says it has been created from a “completely blank canvas”. That's not to say that inspiration hasn’t been taken from iconic cars from the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s, including the popular Lancia Stratos Zero and Lamborghini Countach.
Only 25 will be created in an exclusive first batch and will be available for £2.45 million plus tax.
Searching for driving perfection
The ethos behind the GP1 is to perfect the driving experience, which Garagisti & Co says makes the model stand apart 'in an era dominated by hybrid systems, algorithms and automation.’
Unlike so many of the established brands’ recent efforts, the GP1 is powered by a 6.6-litre naturally aspirated V12, producing 790hp and 700Nm of torque at 8,000rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels through an Xtrac-created 6-speed manual gearbox and, in an era of EV/hybrid silence, Garagisti says the engine’s soundtrack is ‘reminiscent of motorsports engines from a bygone era.’
Interior
Inside the GP1, there’s a twin cockpit layout free of screens with manual buttons integrated into the centre console. Designer Angel Guerra was briefed with the simple instruction of ‘no oversized screens. No unnecessary gimmicks. Just you, the machine and the road ahead.’
Why Garagisti?
But more about the company itself, which takes its name from the early era of F1 in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Across those two decades, a group of small, independent teams emerged known as the Garagistes. They were often run out of small garages with much smaller budgets than the larger, more established teams. Nevertheless, their impact on shaping the sport into the behemoth it is today cannot be understated, with the Garagistes giving chances to new driving talent, pioneering new technology and design concepts and challenging the powerhouses of the time.
As disrupters of the established teams, the impact of the Garagistes mirrors the aims and ambitions of Garagisti & Co in challenging the status quo of the modern supercar scene. In the brand’s words, there is ‘no brand legacy to protect, no focus groups to please, and no algorithms to optimise.’
Along with designer Angel Guerra, there is also equal input from DEXET Technologies, Brembo, Öhlins and Italtecnica Srl as part of a wider collaborative effort.
“What if the golden age of analogue supercars never ended?”
“Our vision for Garagisti was born from a simple question,” said Mario Escudero, co-founder of Garagisti & Co. “What if the golden age of analogue supercars never ended? What if icons like the Countach Evoluzione had sparked a lineage rather than a dead-end? What would the great cars of the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s look like today if they’d evolved with new technology but kept their analogue soul?
“We brought together some of the best minds in the world and answered that question with our hands, our hearts, and our passion. The GP1 is our answer.”
The next step
The GP1 is now in the advanced stages of engineering and production at the heartland of British motorsport. Each will be hand-finished to its owner’s specification through a bespoke commissioning programme with Garagisti in the UK. There’s currently no word on when the first GP1 will be seen on public roads, but watch this space.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Garagisti & Co.