Nichols N1A – A Blast From the Past, For the Future
July 29, 2023
This is, of course, Car & Classic. It’s not one of those websites in which you’ll find new cars, MPG figures, boot capacity information or EuroNCAP ratings. But, that doesn’t mean we ignore new cars. Yes, most cars are about as exciting as a motorway services cheese sandwich, but every now and then something comes along that knocks our figurative socks off. Cars like, ooh, this Nichols N1A. It’s new, brand new, but you’ll find no touch screens, you’ll find no hybrid platform, you will find nothing at all that could be thought of as dull. Instead, there’s a 7.0 V8, a six-speed manual transmission, rear wheel-drive, two seats and a whole lot of fun.
You see, the Nichols N1A is so special, so exciting and so raw because it was designed by Steve Nichols. Becoming lead designer at McLaren in 1987, the first car Nichols designed for the famed marque, the MP4/3, carried Alain Prost to three victories and led the team to finish second in that year’s Constructors’ Championship behind Williams.
At the height of the rivalry between legendary drivers Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, the second car that Nichols oversaw is often regarded as Formula One’s most iconic car, the mighty McLaren MP4/4. Carrying Senna to his first of three Driver’s Championship wins and winning an impressive 15 out of 16 races in the 1988 season, the MP4/4 became one of the most dominant Formula One cars of all time. So, it’s safe to say he’s got the CV to create such a machine as the N1A.
John Minett, CEO of Nichols Cars, said: “The Steve Nichols name is one that needs no introduction in the motorsport world. To be able to work with Steve as well as a number of talented industry professionals is an absolute honour and the N1A is an excellent example of the incredible work from everyone involved. We always strived to make the N1A an unforgettable car – both to experience from afar and from the driver’s seat – and from the N1A’s aerodynamics to its fully-customisable interior, we have now reached that point, and it’s incredible to see.”
The car really is, as we’re sure you already agree, a work of art. It looks almost unreal with its staggered 19 and 20 inch wheels. The trumpets sticking out of the rear deck are a vision of the past, sure, but they suck air into an LS V8 that produces 650bhp. Developed by Nichols Cars. Starting out as an LS3 block from General Motors, it’s been bored out to accommodate new steel liners, whilst custom pistons and conrods have also been added. And those trumpets are not as anachronistic as you might think, as they feed fly-by-wire throttle bodies. Look at that picture above, you can hear it!
The interior is, as you would anticipate, a work of art too. Simple, clear, no frills. It’s more race car than road car (though it is road legal). With top-grade leathers and fabrics, and aluminium components machined from the solid billet. Featuring an Ayrton Senna-inspired gear knob, the N1A’s fully reclined seating position is like that of the MP4/4, giving drivers a chance to experience exactly what Senna and Prost saw. To really immerse yourself, you can even have manual steering, as power assistance is an option. We’d go full manual to really feel every bit of feedback from the rack-and-pinion setup. If it was good enough for Prost…
Founder of Nichols Cars, Steve Nichols, said: “Having experienced amazing racing cars over the decades, I’ve never been able to implement those quirky qualities into a road car, until now. Taking into account all the people that have worked on the N1A, I’m incredibly proud that the car is part of the next chapter in sports car history and is the next step for us and Nichols Cars. The process from pencil to production model has been extremely gratifying; this should be a reminder to the entire automotive industry that combining the past, present and looking to the future, is the way forward for this entire community.”
The launch run of vehicles will be top-of-the-range versions with 7.0-litre (427 cubic inches) engines, limited to 15 cars, each commemorating a victory of the MP4/4. The total production of N1A models won’t exceed more than 100 vehicles, adding to its exclusivity.
