There's a new sports car coming. But it's coming neither from a new startup nor an automaker you may have heard of – unless you're a racing fan who knows his or her history.
Previewed in this teaser image is a new model being developed by Ligier. The French constructor has been around for 50 years now. And that's precisely the landmark anniversary which the as-yet-unnamed sports car seeks to celebrate. Though it's carved out a niche for itself making tiny city cars (primarily for the European market), most of Ligier's expertise has been in constructing race cars.
Based on what we can see so far, we're hopeful that the new sports car will draw more from its racing expertise than its city-car business. According to Motor1, the vehicle will pack a 3.7-liter V6 engine dispatching 330 horsepower through a six-speed, paddle-shift sequential gearbox.
Though we don't know for sure where Ligier will get the engine from, those specs are rather similar to the VQ engine in the Nissan 370Z. That may prove the smart bet, especially considering that Ligier's own JS P2 racing prototype is designed to use Nissan power.
The vehicle will reportedly carry an €89,000 starting price tag, putting it somewhere in between Porsche's 718 Cayman and 911. Word has it that it's also been designed for homologation under the FIA's E II SH regulations for silhouette racers, suggesting that a racing version will follow.
Ligier wouldn't be the first racing constructor to recently draw on its motorsport expertise to create a road car. Dallara recently rolled out the Stradale after 45 years of building race cars and helping other automakers (like Alfa Romeo, Renault, and KTM) develop their road cars. Here's hoping Ligier's will be nearly as awesome.
