Deronda

TRENTON, Mich. — Autosport Development, a Detroit-area race shop, is touting a "new" open-wheel sports car-cum-racing car called the Deronda that looks suspiciously familiar. Perhaps that's because we first saw it in England nearly five years ago.

A Yorkshire company, Deronda was established in 2002, and its first model, the Deronda F400, was displayed at auto shows in 2004. But we hadn't heard from the firm in several years.

Now, Autosport President David Moxlow has announced plans to build a limited number of Derondas in Southeastern Michigan and will preview the latest version of the car this week in a display at Sebring.

The topless, two-place open-wheeler looks fairly primitive but will fetch $70,000 in American trim. Engineered in Britain from mostly off-the-shelf components, the Deronda features a tubular steel chassis and a double-wishbone suspension.

The engine is derived from Audi's turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder, modified by Cosworth to develop 250 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. It is mated to a Porsche five-speed manual gearbox. With mass at a relatively low 1,600 pounds, the car sprints from zero to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds.

Moxlow said the Deronda will be distributed in the U.S. through Sirius Motorsports. Production is slated to begin in May.

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