British sportscar manufacturer Perrinn has announced the sale of two LMP1 chassis for the 2018 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
The as-yet-unnamed prototype was first launched in 2014, but has now found its first buyer with a view to competing at the top level of sportscar racing as soon as next year.
Details of the European-based team and the engine specification will be released in due course, with an unveiling date scheduled for late November ahead of a testing debut in December.
A rolling chassis costs £1.2 million, and the car will rely on torsion bar front suspension with coil springs over dampers at the rear.
The company also expects it to weigh ‘significantly under’ the mandated limit of 830kg, and is optimistic of producing more LMP1 chassis in the future.
“Increased support and stability from the FIA and ACO, coupled with programmes from other manufacturers has meant we’ve had a lot of discussions with teams seeking more freedom than the new LMP2 category,” said project designer Nicolas Perrin.
“LMP1 offers a route to progress from an engineering and pace point of view. In just a few short months, the programme has progressed very quickly to the point where we’ll have two cars plus enough spares to build another car within six months."
"We have ensured we have capacity to do more should some of our other discussions develop.”
Perrinn is an open-source project, meaning teams have the 'option to manufacture or develop parts for the car at any point in time'.
“'I am using open source as a way to focus resources and talents around our project,” said Perrin.
“I want Perrinn to achieve success at Le Mans by becoming a much bigger organisation than it can be if we limit ourselves to a centralised closed company."
The sale is another significant boost for the LMP1 category, which is expecting a resurgence in entries from non-hybrid manufacturers next year.
Fellow British company Ginetta has committed to selling six cars, while Dallara and BR Engineering are continuing to develop their collaborative project.
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