Nichols N1A ICON 88 pays homage to Ayrton Senna’s legacy

New Delhi: It is true that drivers like Ayrton Senna come once in a generation. His sense of grip on the track was extraordinary, and he was one of the most dominating drivers in history. While records are broken, the Brazilian driver is still one of the most impactful drivers in the history of F1, revered across the generations and paid homage to even by car companies. 

In the Monterey Car Week this year, amongst the amazing hypercars was a new custom-built British car with a Formula One pedigree, the Nichols N1A ICON 88. It has been developed by Steve Nichols, the engineer behind the legendary McLaren MP4/4 driven by Senna and Alain Prost in the 1988 season, when the duo dominated the track. 

Per se, the N1A is a racing barchetta for the street. It comes with a 7.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine, developed from General Motors' LS3 block, though it has revised materials. These include pistons, connecting rods, a dry sump system and even electronic throttles. This lets it make 650 bhp, coming with rear-wheel drive and is combined with their in-house developed six-speed manual transmission. 

What stands out, though, is the weight, which is down to 900 kgs thanks to the car coming with a carbon-fibre body with graphene, which is derived from F1. Which means it has a power-to-weight ratio of around 720 bhp per ton, which is something of a racing pedigree. 

The N1A’s aerodynamics were perfect in the MIRA wind tunnel to have the perfect balance between downforce and drag. Its suspension features a double-wishbone layout with racing-grade components. The braking responsibilities are handled by motorsport-like multi-piston callipers. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires wrap around 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, which provide it with amazing grip. 

All of this translates to a driver and their machine kind of experience and is made for those who want to feel every part of the road. Electronic driver aids are minimal. Traction control is standard, but ABS and power steering are both available as options. 

On the inside, it takes a lot of inspiration from the McLaren MP4/4 much more glaringly. There’s a fully reclining driving position, a single seat and a gearshift lever quite like the one used by Ayrton Senna. There are analogue gauges, machined aluminium controls, and premium leather trim, making it a focused driving environment, all tailored to the driver. N1A is the debut model from Nichols Cars after being founded by Steve Nichols and CEO John Minett in 2017.

What they want to do is make standout sports cars without any compromise on the aesthetics and mix classic design elements with modern engineering brilliance. The N1A draws direct inspiration from McLaren’s first iconic racing car from the 1960s, the McLaren M1A. Launching under the ICON 88 banner, the first 15 cars will be paying tribute to the first 15 wins secured by the MP4/4 in the 1988 season.