Grab the Rage, says Conor Twomey - it's super fun and, well, nearly cheap
LET'S TALK numbers here. The Ferrari F430, as you may have guessed, is a pretty serious performance car. It produces a stout 490hp and weighs 1,430kg, giving it an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 342hp per tonne. Using the latest F1-derived traction control technology it can scorch to 100km/h in four seconds dead, an impressive time that in part justifies its €300,000 price tag.
Unbelievably, the tiny two-seater buggy I'm about to get into is every bit as fast as the F430. Weighing only 425kg and packing 180hp from its Honda Fireblade engine, it packs a whopping 423hp per tonne, which means it's also able to catapult itself to 100km/h in four seconds dead. Its 195km/h top speed is some way shy of the Ferrari's 315km/h, but there is a supercharged version being developed which should push its top speed well into the 200s, which is rather quick for what is essentially a set of monkey bars with wheels.
I've already been out for a few demo laps with Rally School Ireland's MD David Smyth, so I know just how fast the Rage is, and this incredible display has already had me howling in wide-eyed shock as he banged up and down through the Rage's sequential manual gearbox and threw it around the school's purpose-built, 1.1km-long track with gleeful abandon.
Now it's my turn to clamber in through its high-strength steel cage and experience the Rage for myself. It's a little scary, to say the least. The easiest way in is through the space where a windscreen would normally go, and while it takes a bit of wriggling to get wide arse into small seat, once in I find the Rage is surprisingly comfortable and roomy, even with Smyth beside me. That is, until the five-point racing harness is lashed together, after which I find breathing difficult and I'm pretty such I can't have any more kids. The next few minutes are amongst my most petrifying, confusing and ultimately delightful in six years of motoring journalism. Starting the Rage involves hunting for neutral for a few minutes, turning a disappointingly normal key and listening to the engine fire up in a most unremarkable fashion. It idles smoothly and calmly, pops into gear sweetly and pulls away quite sedately.
The Rage's steering wheel is small, much like a go-kart's, but it's perfectly located and the steering itself is surprisingly light. The pedals are slightly offset to the left but you quickly get used to them, although the clutch still has to be used for gear changes, unlike the Ferrrari's clutchless sequential gearbox. The throttle is sharp but not ridiculously so, while the servo-less brakes are positive and full of feel.
I notice how like a normal car the Rage drives. Enter a corner too fast, and the front washes wide although it's easily corrected with a lift of the throttle.
My epiphany came as we powered through a fast right-hander that leads to the Rally School's figure-of-eight (normally used by the Drift School). I'd been enjoying the eagerness with which the Rage changed direction but on this occasion I'd been a little too aggressive with the wheel, throwing the Rage in too quickly and too violently, lifting off the throttle in momentary panic at exactly the same moment.
This is normally a very bad thing to do. The Rage pitched sideways, but instead of spinning into the grass, as most cars without ESC would do, it maintained my desired trajectory but at a lurid 45-degree angle. A quick squirt of the throttle and some opposite lock kept the Rage in this unintentional but enjoyable slide for a few moments longer, but with the left-hand hairpin fast approaching, I had no option but to brake hard and hammer the Rage down into first gear.
But again, the Rage refused to spin - instead it maintained this ridiculous angle under braking and simply shed speed very rapidly. Even though the Rage wasn't really going slowly enough to take the corner, I shut my eyes, flung the Rage into the left-hand hairpin and braced myself again for an unpleasant excursion across the grass. The little Rage clung on to the asphalt, swung its tail out and even though one rear tyre did end up on the grass, it power-slid its way beautifully up the hill and on to the next corner, with its driver now bawling in utter disbelief.
It's addictively fast, intoxicatingly balanced (on the throttle and brakes) and so forgiving once you're prepared to take it by the scruff of the neck. It is the most addictive thing I think I have ever driven. The good news is that potential owners don't necessarily need their own personal race track to enjoy the Rage.
There's even a removable road-going kit (all the necessary lights plus a windscreen with a wiper) and also a racing version which means the whole thing is built to, and beyond, FIA safety standards. Best of all, at around €30,000 each (£20,000 or about €25,000 plus VAT) you can have 10 Rages for the price of one Ferrari F430, which I'm pretty certain would be useless across a field. On one hand, you could look at that as a rather large chunk of change for what's essentially a toy, but personally I see it as the performance car bargain of the century. Now that I'm certain we won't having any more children, I think I'll start saving up for one myself.
FACTFILE - Rage R180T
Engine:Honda CBR1000RR four-cylinder 998cc, 180hp
Transmission:sequential, 6-speed Quaife gearbox (with reverse) ATB Differential
Chassis:powder coated 1.5" CDS Tubular Space Frame
Wheels:Aluminium Douglas Red Label, 12x6 front, 12x8 rear
Suspension:double wishbone all round, adjustable Intrax dampers, 12.5"/13.5" of travel
Steering:rack and pinion, 1.7 turns, lock to lock
Brakes:cross-drilled steel discs with Brembo calipers and bias adjustment
Seats and harnesses:FIA-approved Diolen adjustable race seat with 5-point Pro harness
Dimensions:length - 2750mm, width 1780mm, height 1370mm
Weight:425kg (dry)
Price:€25,250 plus VAT/ €30,500 incl VAT