The Artega GT was a
mid-engined, rear wheel drive 2-seat
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
produced by German automobile manufacturer
Artega between 2009 and 2012. The ''GT'' was Artega's first model. A total of 153 units were produced.
Overview
The two seater had an aluminum
space frame
In architecture and structural engineering, a space frame or space structure ( 3D truss) is a rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with ...
and
carbon fibre reinforced body for a light curb weight of . The engine was a
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
-sourced direct injection 3.6 L
VR6
VR6 engines are V6 piston engines with a narrow angle between the cylinder banks and a single cylinder head covering both banks of cylinders.
Volkswagen Group introduced the first VR6 engine in 1991 and VR6 engines currently remain in producti ...
rated at and mated to a 6-speed
DSG transmission. Acceleration from 0–100 km/h is tested to be at 4.6 seconds, with top speed estimated to be over .
In early 2011 GTspirit tested the Artega GT in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and finished by saying that, ''Overall a superb handling sports car with not a single failure'' and that it had ''excellent performance not easily found elsewhere'. The Artega GT was priced at approximately €75,000.
The GT was built at a new factory in
Delbrück
Delbrück () is a town in the east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the district Paderborn.
History
The first document mentioning the town dates to 1219. In 1410, the town was destroyed by fire during a conflict between the bisho ...
, Germany with production starting in October 2008 and sales commencing in spring 2009. Production was claimed to be limited to roughly 500 units per year.
History
First shown as a mock up at the 2007
Geneva Auto Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by the ...
; the Artega GT debuted a year later at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show. Klaus Dieter Frers announced at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show that Artega was investing in a possible solar-powered concept vehicle to compete with the
Tesla Roadster (2008)
The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) sports car, based on the Lotus Elise chassis, that was produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors (now Tesla, Inc.) in California from 2008 to 2012. The Roadster was the first highway ...
and
Fisker Karma
The Fisker Karma is a luxury plug-in range-extended electric sports sedan produced by Fisker Automotive in 2012. The cars were manufactured at Valmet Automotive in Finland.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rated th ...
. Henrik Fisker, who also designed the
Aston Martin V8 Vantage, contributed to the design of the Artega GT.
Bankruptcy
After the Artega company filed for
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
in July 2012, production has ceased and the company has been bought by German automotive supplier firm Paragon AG, which has offered all employees new jobs. Paragon AG will continue to supply owners with service, according to the Artega-website.
Discontinuation
On 30 September 2012 the production of the Artega GT was halted. There are currently no plans to resume production.
Technical specification
Frame: Aluminum spaceframe. Rear module tubular space frame of high-tensile stainless steel
Bodywork: Carbon fiber reinforced polyurethane compound material
Dimensions (L X B X H): 3950 x 1880 x
Kg/PS: About 3.6 kg/PS
Engine: VR6 direct-injection engine in the rear mid
Displacement:
Performance: at 6,600 rpm
Torque: at 2,400 rpm
Layout: Rear-wheel-drive
Transmission: Six-speed direct-shift with Artega inverting stage (pat. appl.)
Acceleration 0 - : 4.6 seconds
Speed: more than
https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/test/artega-gt-im-supertest-wie-schlaegt-sich-der-deutsche-lotus/technische-daten/
See also
*
Oullim Spirra
The Oullim Spirra is a sports car manufactured by Oullim Motors, a subsidiary of Oullim Networks. The company headquarters are located in Yangjae-dong in downtown Seoul while the production facility is located in Kyunggi-do province just south ...
*
DC Avanti
*
Mastretta MXT
The Mastretta MXT is an automobile produced by the Mexican car manufacturer Mastretta. It is the first car that Mastretta has designed without any foreign input. The ''MXT'' is based loosely on the Lotus Elise and the Audi R8. The ''MXT'' entered ...
References
External links
Artega Homepageofficial corporate website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Artega Gt
Artega vehicles
Sports cars
Henrik Fisker
Cars of Germany
Cars powered by VR engines
Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Coupés
Artega Automobile
Cars introduced in 2009