With a high revving motorcycle engine boosted by a supercharger and electric power, the Quarkus P2 track day special is sure to be fun.
I’d never heard of Quarkus until this evening. You’ve probably never heard of them till just now. As such, we learn together. All joking aside, the Quarkus P2 is an interesting spin on the usual track day super builds. The company name is derived from “quark,” which is the smallest particle that makes up protons and neutrons. Though the car itself isn’t microscopic, the naming theory coincides with the car’s minimalist roots.
Founder Damien Alfano takes a stance that we can get behind. According to Czech publication Vintage Car Magazine, Alfano is determined to make a vehicle completely opposite from the massively powerful and massively heavy all-electric cars currently making the rounds. You know, like the very un-Lotus like Lotus Evija.
P2’s start came from the P1, which debuted in 2021 according to CarFans. As an evolution of that car, the P2 aims to be one of the most capable street legal track cars money can buy, while also meeting Euro7 standards for tail-pipe emissions… 5 years ahead of the required timeframe.
To achieve this, Alfano has had to reduce weight where possible. As such, the car is made from carbon fiber, but not in the way most expect it. Most carbon fiber cars have the full monocoque or tub as the main chassis. However, for the P2, it is a carbon fiber tube frame chassis. It’s said to cost less, be nearly as light and have a tremendous amount of chassis rigidity. Carbon fiber bodywork is then draped over that tubular skeleton. And if you think it looks the part, well, it actually is the part, too. Downforce at 120 miles per hour is said to be between 500 and 600 kg. The P2 weighs 550kg.
Lighter weight was utilized in order to stay green, but the power unit needs to be considered as well. A combination of gasoline and electric power push the P2 along. Though it’s not directly stated what 1,000cc engine is used, our eyes spot the valve cover of a Suzuki GSX-R engine. That motor is supercharged, runs on E85 and is paired to an electric motor. Power from the 4-cylinder supercharged motor is said to be 250 horsepower, with a 30-40 hp bump from the electric assist. Power to weight of this car is on par with a Veyron, and about 1/3rd the weight.
Alfano aims for this car to be the fastest road legal car in existence. Something similar was attempted in 2010 when Radical took the SR8 LM to the Nurburgring. Via Autoblog, Radical set a blisteringly quick time of 6:48, which is almost ten full seconds clear of the Porsche 918. It’ll be a tall order for Quarkus to achieve something like this, but with a fully enclosed cockpit, the “road legal” aspect of the P2 sure is a lot more believable than an open cockpit sports prototype racer. And ultimately, the P2 is the development mule for the P3 to debut a few years from now. But if you need one, only a handful of P2 cars will be made, and sold for about 200,000 euros.
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Photos courtesy of CarFans