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Think of a Russian car and you’re likely to find yourself with a mental image of either a battered Lada or one of the vast Zil “communist Cadillacs” that carried Soviet presidents past ranks of saluting soldiers. You’re certainly not thinking of a car that looks like this one, and the reason for that is simple: until now, there hasn’t been one.
Marussia bills itself as Russia’s first supercar manufacturer; if the country can come up with a machine such as this, let’s hope it’s not the last. Called the B2, it produces, the company says, up to 414bhp, which, working against the car’s 1,100kg kerb weight, is claimed to translate to an extraordinary 3.2sec 0-62mph time and a slightly less bewildering top speed of more than 155mph.
Marussia is being coy about what exactly lies under the angular exterior, saying only that power comes from a mid-mounted 3.5-litre Cosworth-tuned V6 engine. The company won’t confirm its source, but rumours suggest it’s originally a Nissan unit.
The B2 is, as the name suggests, the second car the company has produced from its factory in Moscow. Its predecessor, the B1, was a hybrid concept never produced for sale.
The company was founded by Nikolay Fomenko, the host of the Russian version of Top Gear, whose CV also includes playing in Secret, one of the USSR’s biggest rock bands in the mid-1980s, starring in several hit TV comedies and a brief racing career. The firm is determined to be taken seriously outside its homeland and has already announced a collaboration with the Virgin Racing Formula One team, which will carry Marussia branding.
The B2’s wedgy bodywork has plenty of original design touches, but some familiar ones too. The profile is similar to that of the Ferrari Enzo, and there are strong hints of the Lamborghini Reventon in the hooded tail-lights and central exhaust. And if you don’t like it, don’t worry: Marussia says the B2’s modular construction makes it easy to change the bodywork, so owners will be able to have a bespoke design for their car.
Which all leaves the big question: how much will it cost? The answer, according to a Marussia spokesman, is that the price hasn’t been finalised but the B2 is likely to be a little more expensive than the €100,000 (£87,000) B1. If that’s the case, when the right-hand-drive B2 goes on sale in the UK, buyers won’t receive much change from £100,000 — a price affordable for only the wealthy elite of buyers. Er, bring on the revolution, comrades.
Marussia B2
Engine 3498cc, V6
Power 414bhp (manufacturer’s estimate at peak revs)
Torque 243 lb ft @ 3600rpm
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Acceleration 0-62mph: 3.2sec (estimated)
Top speed More than 155mph
Fuel / CO2 Not available
Price £100,000 (estimated)
Verdict This black russian has an unbelievable kick
On sale May 2010
Think of a Russian car and you’re likely to find yourself with a mental image of either a battered Lada or one of the vast Zil “communist Cadillacs” that carried Soviet presidents past ranks of saluting soldiers. You’re certainly not thinking of a car that looks like this one, and the reason for that is simple: until now, there hasn’t been one.
Marussia bills itself as Russia’s first supercar manufacturer; if the country can come up with a machine such as this, let’s hope it’s not the last. Called the B2, it produces, the company says, up to 414bhp, which, working against the car’s 1,100kg kerb weight, is claimed to translate to an extraordinary 3.2sec 0-62mph time and a slightly less bewildering top speed of more than 155mph.
Marussia is being coy about what exactly lies under the angular exterior, saying only that power comes from a mid-mounted 3.5-litre Cosworth-tuned V6 engine. The company won’t confirm its source, but rumours suggest it’s originally a Nissan unit.
The B2 is, as the name suggests, the second car the company has produced from its factory in Moscow. Its predecessor, the B1, was a hybrid concept never produced for sale.
The company was founded by Nikolay Fomenko, the host of the Russian version of Top Gear, whose CV also includes playing in Secret, one of the USSR’s biggest rock bands in the mid-1980s, starring in several hit TV comedies and a brief racing career. The firm is determined to be taken seriously outside its homeland and has already announced a collaboration with the Virgin Racing Formula One team, which will carry Marussia branding.
The B2’s wedgy bodywork has plenty of original design touches, but some familiar ones too. The profile is similar to that of the Ferrari Enzo, and there are strong hints of the Lamborghini Reventon in the hooded tail-lights and central exhaust. And if you don’t like it, don’t worry: Marussia says the B2’s modular construction makes it easy to change the bodywork, so owners will be able to have a bespoke design for their car.
Which all leaves the big question: how much will it cost? The answer, according to a Marussia spokesman, is that the price hasn’t been finalised but the B2 is likely to be a little more expensive than the €100,000 (£87,000) B1. If that’s the case, when the right-hand-drive B2 goes on sale in the UK, buyers won’t receive much change from £100,000 — a price affordable for only the wealthy elite of buyers. Er, bring on the revolution, comrades.
Marussia B2
Engine 3498cc, V6
Power 414bhp (manufacturer’s estimate at peak revs)
Torque 243 lb ft @ 3600rpm
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Acceleration 0-62mph: 3.2sec (estimated)
Top speed More than 155mph
Fuel / CO2 Not available
Price £100,000 (estimated)
Verdict This black russian has an unbelievable kick
On sale May 2010
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