Budding Argentinean niche carmaker, Bravo Motor Company, will use a Fiat Powertrain Technologies-supplied engine when its unique, aerodynamically-efficient sports car, the Nach One 2.0, finally hits production. Nach One was first shown in prototype form last year, and as the new company edges towards production, founder Miguel Angel Bravo has unveiled an updated version, dubbed as the Nach One 2.0, which is set to use Fiat Powertrain engines and transmissions.

The Nach One 2.0 is based around optimised aerodynamic bodywork, and features a distinctive F1-style nose, exposed double wishbones and suspension, and an adjustable wing at the front; and the body opens out into a snug two seat cockpit with a flowing wraparound glasshouse. In true single-seater racer style the Nach One 2.0 has small front wheels and large rear ones. The car is rear engined, with large air intakes in front of the rear wheels, and has a rear wing (incorporating the mandatory high level brake light) that can be retracted to form part of the bodywork at low speeds.

The front and rear wings are both adjustable by the driver to allow high speed aerodynamics to be improved. While the front wheels are exposed and have small dedicated mudguards, the rear wheels, which drive the two-wheel-drive car, are enveloped by the bulbous rear bodywork, much in the style of the recent Caparo T1. The car's rear end features a large splitter and twin exhausts with the exits moulded to the rear bodywork's styling swage lines. As well as its slippery aerodynamics, which include flush fitting headlights and door mirrors, the Nach One 2.0 uses lightweight polycarbonate-based bodywork around its slender chassis to reduce weight.

Power for the Nach One 2.0 will come from a Fiat Powertrain Technologies-sourced engine until, with a deal having been struck by the Bravo Motor Company with the Italian firm to supply the engine, gearbox and other drivetrain components. The most likely choice of powerplant will be the new 1.9 litre 16v engine that Fiat Brazil has just launched on the market in the C-segment Linea sedan, with 130 bhp. This engine is based on Fiat's former European market 'Torque' engine, and it has been entirely developed by Fiat Brazil in its new guise and is now built locally. The unit will be mated up to Fiat's popular Dualogic gearbox with the Nach One 2.0 set to cost around US$25,000 in Argentina.

For Fiat Powertrain Brazil, the largest manufacturer of engines and transmissions in Latin America, this will be its second foray into an external niche engine supply contract within a matter of weeks; at the São Paulo Motor Show earlier this month, budding off-road automaker Technologia Automotiva Catarinense (TAC) showed off its new Stark 4WD that it plans to put into limited production within weeks. The Stark 4WD will be powered by a new 2.3 litre 16v Fiat Powertrain turbodiesel engine, called the S23.

by Claudio Perlini / Additional information Argentina Auto Blog