Speed = money. How fast do you want to go?

If you have a new supercar using Formula 1 technology, where would you launch it? How about Monaco, where--for one weekend each year--grand prix racing takes over the city streets, and--more importantly--the owners of the yachts in the harbor have the money necessary to buy such a car. That's what Caparo Vehicle Technologies (CVT) did when it launched the T1, an under-1,100-lb two-seat sports car powered by a 500-hp V8. Despite all of the high-tech goodies used to build the T1, it's a good bet the vehicle uses products from manufacturers like Powerlok, Torx, and Taptite. Like CVT, they are part of the larger Caparo Group (London, UK; www.caparo.co.uk).

According to figures provided by CVT, the T1 will travel from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, hit 100 mph from a standstill in 5 seconds, and go from 0 to 100 to 0 in less than 10 seconds. Oh, and it apparently can brake or corner at 3g. Despite its blistering performance, the company says the lightweight T1 will return about 30 mpg on the highway.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Key to this performance is the carbon fiber and aluminum honeycomb mono-coque chassis clothed in carbon fiber and Nomex bodywork, all protected by carbon composite crash structures. Even the steering rack is magnesium, while the gearbox is a combination of magnesium and carbon fiber. The supercharged 2.4-liter 480-hp dry sump V8 engine, on the other hand, is made of more prosaic aluminum. And the brakes? They're fully floating 14-in. discs clamped by six-piston calipers in the front, and four-piston calipers in the rear. All you'll need to drive one is a spare $276,000 burning a hole in your pocket.