Superlite SL-C

Why the SL-C?

When I visited ERA to buy my cobra in the late 80's I spent a lot of time drooling on one of their stainless steel GT40s, a case of champagne taste on a beer budget. I told myself "someday". That day came 25 years later and I called ERA. Peter, the same guy who has sold me the cobra, answered. They had stopped making the car!

There were a fair number of GT40 replicas on the market. I looked at Superformance which offers a "continuation" of the GT40 which means that it's licensed and very similar to an original GT40. The problem with that is that marking aside it's still a replica and the suspension design is as old as I am. So I started doing a lot of research. I visited several manufacturers, talked with builders and read many thousands of forum posts. Perhaps the most useful discussions were with builders who had built and owned cars from different manufacturers.

 I had spent time looking at Race Car Replicas (RCR) and its GT40 replica. The body was molded off of an original and its chassis was modern and over the top cool. During this time I started driving the cobra again and I was getting tired of answering "Is it real?" — well it’s not a mirage! If you’re asking if it’s an original, only the engine and a few other parts are.This pushed me to look for something modern and unique (my wife wants me to build her of their D-Types).

While RCR is primarily focused on building replicas of iconic vintage race cars, mostly from the 60's its sister company, Superlite Cars, is focused on modern, original designs like the SL-C. The SL-C is the antithesis of the standard kit car. Everything is either a bespoke design or a best-of-breed OEM part (e.g., Brembo brakes, Penske shocks, etc.), so there are no donor parts. The chassis is a TIG-welded, CNC-formed aluminum semi monocoque and the suspension is CNC machined from aircraft grade aluminum... both are works of art.

In the end, the decision wasn't all that hard. I chose the SL-C based on engineering, craftsmanship, design and proven performance.

Race Proven

Beyond kick-ass engineering, the SL-C is race proven. In 2011 Superlite decided to race the SL-C to demonstrate its capabilities. On the car’s first race day it qualified on the pole and later that weekend set a new lap record for that track. For the entire season, the SL-C qualified on the pole for every race, and won every race it finished. It was then entered in the NASA’s National Championship race in the Super Unlimited class. The class has no minimum weights and no power limits – basically anything with the required safety gear and fenders is legal. It won the National Championship race. In fact, the SL-C captured the pole position for every race, won both qualifying races and actually lapped every car in the class except for the 2nd and 3rd place cars, and was on pace to lap them as well, had the race been longer.

So the SL-C, in its first year, not only won but dominated NASA's Super Unlimited National Championship – their fastest, baddest, run-what-ya-brung class. It beat cars and teams that had been under development for years. Yeah, I guess it’s good enough for me;-)

My Car

Summary Configuration

The detailed kit order is here.

  • Street tail

  • Carbon fiber wing (removable)

  • Carbon fiber interior tub

  • Penske Shock Upgrade

  • BremboGT Brake Upgrade

  • Supercharged LS7 (1,000 HP)

  • Ricardo Transaxle

  • MoTec ECU, traction control and digital display