Bartek S.
Aerodynamic Ace
First Drive: 2008 Veritas RS III
Old-School Name, New-School Concept
Though times are tough, there appears to be a new supercar lurking around every corner. All of them have more horsepower than a medieval army, most look like Darth Vader's personal transport and all but a few disappear without a trace after a token showing in the motoring press, quickly followed by a bankruptcy hearing.
But perhaps things will turn out differently for the 2008 Veritas RS III.
The Veritas RS3 was first shown as a concept in 2001 that featured some design cues from the boating world. Now tiny Vermot AG has finally been able to build a working prototype, and testing was completed last spring. Now this intriguing front-engine supercar with a carbon-fiber body and a choice between two BMW engines appears to be ready for the road.
As long as you can find a road where you can go 200 mph.
Face Value
The only working prototype of the 2008 Veritas RS III greeted our arrival at a nondescript industrial facility just a stone's throw from the Nürburgring, and even the pictures we've seen didn't prepare us for its visual impact.
Veritas has some authentic credentials, as it can be traced to a line of sports cars built in Germany just after World War II. Based on BMW 328 mechanicals, the first Veritas was driven to a German sports car championship in 1947 by Karl Kling, who subsequently drove for Mercedes-Benz racing in the early 1950s. Later, a line of Veritas sports cars with Heinkel engines were built and eventually the Veritas Meteor became the first German-manufactured car in modern Formula 1 when it was entered in the 1951 Swiss Grand Prix.
The wide, gaping grille of the RS III recalls the original Veritas sports cars, although its wicked, slanting eyes and bulging hood add up to a close approximation of something you might have seen in one of Pixar's animated adventures. Were it to transform into a robot before our eyes, it would not be a surprise.
It's impossibly low, hugging those beautifully ornate wheels. And then there's that stunning rear with the exhaust standing high and proud, the aero diffuser tucked away, monstrous rear tires and finally the slotlike lights. The passenger seat can be covered over to re-create the full-on effect of an old-school sports-racing car that has been slammed at a million miles per hour into the modern world.
There are nostalgic design touches, including the rivets that hold the wraparound windscreen and wood slats on the floor that resemble boat decking. Inside the cabin, Konig carbon-fiber seats are stitched in leather to perfection and the instrument bezels are beautifully ornate.
edmunds
Old-School Name, New-School Concept
Though times are tough, there appears to be a new supercar lurking around every corner. All of them have more horsepower than a medieval army, most look like Darth Vader's personal transport and all but a few disappear without a trace after a token showing in the motoring press, quickly followed by a bankruptcy hearing.
But perhaps things will turn out differently for the 2008 Veritas RS III.
The Veritas RS3 was first shown as a concept in 2001 that featured some design cues from the boating world. Now tiny Vermot AG has finally been able to build a working prototype, and testing was completed last spring. Now this intriguing front-engine supercar with a carbon-fiber body and a choice between two BMW engines appears to be ready for the road.
As long as you can find a road where you can go 200 mph.
Face Value
The only working prototype of the 2008 Veritas RS III greeted our arrival at a nondescript industrial facility just a stone's throw from the Nürburgring, and even the pictures we've seen didn't prepare us for its visual impact.
Veritas has some authentic credentials, as it can be traced to a line of sports cars built in Germany just after World War II. Based on BMW 328 mechanicals, the first Veritas was driven to a German sports car championship in 1947 by Karl Kling, who subsequently drove for Mercedes-Benz racing in the early 1950s. Later, a line of Veritas sports cars with Heinkel engines were built and eventually the Veritas Meteor became the first German-manufactured car in modern Formula 1 when it was entered in the 1951 Swiss Grand Prix.
The wide, gaping grille of the RS III recalls the original Veritas sports cars, although its wicked, slanting eyes and bulging hood add up to a close approximation of something you might have seen in one of Pixar's animated adventures. Were it to transform into a robot before our eyes, it would not be a surprise.
It's impossibly low, hugging those beautifully ornate wheels. And then there's that stunning rear with the exhaust standing high and proud, the aero diffuser tucked away, monstrous rear tires and finally the slotlike lights. The passenger seat can be covered over to re-create the full-on effect of an old-school sports-racing car that has been slammed at a million miles per hour into the modern world.
There are nostalgic design touches, including the rivets that hold the wraparound windscreen and wood slats on the floor that resemble boat decking. Inside the cabin, Konig carbon-fiber seats are stitched in leather to perfection and the instrument bezels are beautifully ornate.
edmunds
