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Reprinted from 'Auto Italia' November 2000
By
Roberto Giordanelli
BUILD YOUR OWN FERRARI P4
The Foreman Story
Now who was it who said that originality is undetected plagiarism? To copy is certainly to flatter. Just look at these stunning cars from N F Auto Development. Ok, Ok, so they are fakes - kit cars, insubordinate imposters, counterfeit creations. But they are also beautifully made and a new 'turn-key' Foreman Mk4 costs about four million pounds less than a Ferrari P4 or similar. The price difference is so enormous that the existence of these 'Sexton Blakes' will have no effect on the values of 'real' ones. If anything, their presence may even make a real P4 more expensive. There is no reference of the F-word in any of N F Auto Developments literature. The whole operation treads 'copyright carefully' thus avoiding throwing money at lawyers.
There are lots of historic vehicles out there (especially racing cars) that are 'original'. The cars you see at Goodwood or running in the FIA Historic Races are 'originals' they have papers and everything. Some are as original as my 30-year-old broom. It has had two new handles and four new heads but it is definitely the same broom. If you own on of the three or four real Ferrari P4's you are doing OK. It must be nice to own one. You will of course look down your nose at replicas. Anyone in your position would. As for the rest of us we now have a choice. We can continue dreaming (nothing wrong with that) or we can buy a ready-to-go Foreman Mk4 (kits start at about £9,000). Apart from being able to leave it parked in the street at night, we could also race it in the Le Mans-Auto Italia Championship or frighten our friends at track days. Tempting isn't it? Buy a scrap 400GT Ferrari for £5K, a Foreman kit for £9,000 and away we go.
It has been done before with GT40s, D-Types and C-Types. Following an aeronautical background, Neil Foreman has been involved with all of them. Here we test three of Foreman's impressive machines built 'in the spirit of 1960's sports-prototypes'. Now let's see, there is a red and white Foreman Mk4 in Scuderia Filipinetti colours, fitted with a Lamborghini V12. Then there is a red open top one - a Foreman CanAm - fitted with a 5.7ltr Chevrolet V8. And finally there is a green one - another Foreman Mk4 with a Renault V6 motor.
The racer is road legal. Yes, this interpretation of a Filipinetti-liveried '60's racing icon is used on the road. Neil Foreman will guide buyers through SVA tests and gobbledygook of road registering these cars - and no, you don't necessarily have to have a Q-plate. Next year owner Max Wakefield plans to run the red and white dream machine in the Le-Mans Auto Italia racing championship. (In Feb 2002 Max was placed 1st overall in 4 races in Johannesburg and CapeTown in the David Piper Historic Tour. N.F) Fitted with a 4 ltr V12 Countach engine, the John Sabourin built motor is reputed to produce 450 bhp. Standard power was 350 bhp at 7,500 rpm. Torque figures are not known but if I know my Lamborghinis, you would have to get past 4,500 rpm before anything serious happened - then hang on. Helped by its alloy motor, the whole thing weighs in at 950 kilos giving a power to weight ratio of 470 bhp per tonne. While the 'real' thing also had a 4 ltr V12 motor with 450 bhp @ 11,000 rpm and weighed a good deal less. But I know which I would rather be in if I had to drive into a concrete block at 30 mph.
With graphics painstakingly reproduced, Le Mans identification lamps and lots of nice little period 'David Piper' touches, I was looking forward to my drive. A stroll around the car to take in some features and I notice the roof comes off and the knock-on wheels don't knock off. Inside there is a well-engineered alloy gate for the gear lever with a reverse lock-out. The unassisted steering ratio is rather low-geared with 3.75 turns between locks - a lot for a racer but an easy, light action for Sainsbury's car park. A quick rack (two and a half turns) is available.
The test drive left me highly impressed. A very well made and user-friendly car that looks a million dollars - make that pounds. Sitting position, comfort, braking and steering were very good. It was easy on the brain to have a conventional 5-speed layout. My own road car has a dog-leg first layout and I have to think hard at every change. The Weber-fed V12, whilst not from Maranello, is a lot of fun and makes the right noises. Foreman estimates a 180+ mph top speed and 4.5 seconds to 60mph. The suspension and handling are fully adjustable. The only criticism was some lift-off oversteer. This needs assorting before racing commences as there is bound to come a time mid-corner when the unexpected 'lift' will be called for.
Next test, the Foreman CanAm - this wind-in-hair beauty is fitted with a torquey 350 bhp Chevrolet V8. Top speed is 155 mph with a 0 - 60 time of 4.6 seconds. The Foreman CanAm (or Mk4) will take just about any power unit you care to drop into it. I have driven countless 'real' racers and race replicas but few have been so user friendly as this red machine. OK, so there are no wipers, no weather protection and no boot, but what the hell….
This car's power to weight ratio is 350 bhp per tonne. Power is nothing without control. The Foreman CanAm at full throttle is controllable. Thanks to low-down power, it can perform balletic power-slides. In a straight line it's 60% rear weight bias wrinkles the tarmac as the heavy Chevy dumps its torque. For road use torque is more important than top end power - even in the Kings Road. Hard cornering brings on initial understeer, then neutrality. Lifting off lightens the line. Lifting off at the limit brings on lift-off oversteer. With such an adjustable car, the handling can be set up to suit your liking. Stiffer front springs, dampers or roll bar and maybe some rear negative camber would probably cure the lift-off oversteer at the expense of increased understeer. Brakes, steering and ride, etc, are superb. One niggle - there was some distortion through the top part of the windscreen which was directly in my normal line of sight.
Finally, the understated but rather special green machine. Don't be disappointed to hear that it has a Renault V6. The 160 bhp alloy injection engine is enough to push those Brooklands Green curves through the air at 146 mph and manage the 0 - 60 dash in 7 seconds. Weighing in at 930 kilos, you still have a useful 172 bhp per tome to play with which is more than a new (and very quick) Alfa Romeo 3.0 GTV has.
Owner Mike Hammond required automatic transmission and the Renault 25 gearbox fitted the bill. He took two and a half years to build the Foreman Mk4 and has been driving it for nearly a year as his everyday transport - yes. Very much a road car, Mike fitted a Momo quick-release steering wheel for easy access, a stereo, a simple neat dash, conventional lap and shoulder belts and air conditioning. The small cabin and large glass area all cry out for air-con and Foreman offers a small, neat A/C unit. Starting is a simple turn-key, no pumps or starter buttons here. Well trimmed in black leather and black carpets, the cabin is neither noisy nor uncomfortable. Visibility is good wit three mirrors. Wherever you look - be it through the quarter-elliptic screen or the door mirrors - you see those beautiful humps that cover the wheels. The car has been utterly reliable but where do you carry your shopping Mike? The Pirelli P6000 rubber (225/55R16 front and 235/50R16 rear) transmits little tyre noise to the interior. Both the Mk4 and the
CanAm have a powder-coated tubular steel chassis with composite body and double wishbone suspension. Chassis stiffness has been well thought-out on all models> all models have an integral roll-over bar. High sills and high central longitudinal tubing eliminate many of the torsional rigidity problems associated with open top cars. Non-triangulated steel sections form the crumple zones. There are so many options that you could specify your own one-off should you desire. It may not be 'original' but it would be unique. Alternatively, you could buy a real one in installments of about £8,000 a month.
Roberto Giordanelli
