First Impression: Rossion Q1

Noble built the M400 from 2004 to 2007. In February 2007, American company 1G Racing/Rossion Automotive, founded by Ian Grunes and Dean Rosen, acquired the rights to the M400. Rossion took the M400 and redesigned a new front end, larger integrated air intakes, ram air side window ducts, a new rear diffuser, power windows, remote power side mirros, and center mounted wide screen entertainment center. Rossion called the redesigned M400 the Rossion Q1. Although Rossion is an American company and Noble is a British company, both the Noble M400 and Rossion Q1 are manufactured by Hi Tech Automotive, which is based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

I first saw the Rossion Q1 at the December 2010 edition of Houston Cars and Coffee. A person from Austin brought the Rossion Q1 and had a facts sheet on display right next to the car. Unfortunately, the Q1 was overlooked because Hennessey was revealing the Venom GT at the same event. My first thought on the car was "What is a Rossion?" This was the first time I heard of Rossion. I thought the finish of the car needed some improvements.

The Rossion Q1 is powered by a rebuilt Ford Duratec twin-turbo 3.0L V6, paired with a six-speed manual transmission, that produces 450 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 189 mph. Prices for the Rossion Q1 start at $100,000. Compared to other high-performing cars, the Rossion Q1 is bargain. Not many cars can match the quickness of the Q1. It is also one of the cheaper supercars on the market.

The Rossion Q1 is playable in Project Gotham Racing 4 and Forza Motorsport 3. It has not been featured on any of the major automotive programs.

Final Thought: It is a quick car for a relative low price. The finish of the car needs improvements. There are slower cars that cost more than the Rossion Q1. I wonder what Rossion can do with a car built from scratch. Not a bad initial car for Rossion.

CarJunkie
Photo taken from a camera phone