Lobini H1
Encyclopedia
The Lobini H1 is a sports car
produced by the Brazilian automaker Lobini
. It first appeared in 2005 and went through a minor redesign in 2007. It has a carbon steel tubular chassis and a fiberglass
body shell. It makes use of a Volkswagen 1.8L turbocharged 20V engine, the same used in some versions of both Volkswagen Golf
and Audi A3
.
. It was designed by Graham Holmes, former Lotus
designer, and was clearly inspired by the Lotus Elise
. The car's prototype was first presented to the public at the 22nd São Paulo Motor Show, in 2002, and the first finished unit was sold in 2005. At that time, it was only available in the targa top
configuration. In 2006, minor redesigns were announced for the 2007 model. Also, at the 26th São Paulo Motor Show a new coupé
model was introduced and a racing model was shown.
Though it was well received by Brazilian enthusiasts, it is considered too expensive by most in that specific market. In fact, most of its production is directed towards the American and British markets.
, 20V turbocharged
1.8L engine, the same as used in the Brazilian Volkswagen Golf GTI, transversally mounted in front of the rear axle. It attains 178 hp at 5700 rpm, and makes the H1 go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds. With this engine, the car has a maximum speed of 218 km/h (135 mph).
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
produced by the Brazilian automaker Lobini
Lobini
Lobini is a Brazilian automobile manufacturer. The company produces a sports car called the H1 which uses Audi engines and fiberglass bodies produced by fellow Brazilian sports car manufacturer Chamonix....
. It first appeared in 2005 and went through a minor redesign in 2007. It has a carbon steel tubular chassis and a fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
body shell. It makes use of a Volkswagen 1.8L turbocharged 20V engine, the same used in some versions of both Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
and Audi A3
Audi A3
The Audi A3 is a small family car produced by the German automaker Audi since 1996. Two generations of A3 exist, both based on the Volkswagen Group A platform, which they share with several other models such as the Audi TT, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Caddy and Volkswagen Touran as well as SEAT...
.
Background
The Lobini H1 was idealized by José Orlando Lobo and Fábio Birolini, and is the first car to be produced by LobiniLobini
Lobini is a Brazilian automobile manufacturer. The company produces a sports car called the H1 which uses Audi engines and fiberglass bodies produced by fellow Brazilian sports car manufacturer Chamonix....
. It was designed by Graham Holmes, former Lotus
Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
designer, and was clearly inspired by the Lotus Elise
Lotus Elise
The 1996 Lotus Elise weighed . Because of its relatively low weight, it was able to accelerate 0- in 5.8 seconds despite its relatively low power output of...
. The car's prototype was first presented to the public at the 22nd São Paulo Motor Show, in 2002, and the first finished unit was sold in 2005. At that time, it was only available in the targa top
Targa top
Targa top, targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsche AG....
configuration. In 2006, minor redesigns were announced for the 2007 model. Also, at the 26th São Paulo Motor Show a new coupé
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
model was introduced and a racing model was shown.
Though it was well received by Brazilian enthusiasts, it is considered too expensive by most in that specific market. In fact, most of its production is directed towards the American and British markets.
Engine
The H1 has an I4Straight-4
The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, 20V turbocharged
Turbocharger
A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
1.8L engine, the same as used in the Brazilian Volkswagen Golf GTI, transversally mounted in front of the rear axle. It attains 178 hp at 5700 rpm, and makes the H1 go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds. With this engine, the car has a maximum speed of 218 km/h (135 mph).