TOM'S Angel T01 - The Car You Haven't Heard Of (14 Photos)
Tachi Oiwa Motor Sport Racing has been in existence since 1974. years and in addition to participation in various racing series, produces spare tuning parts. The team is known among enthusiasts, at one time even built engines and chassis for Formula 3. 
In the mid-90s, the guys from TOM'S decided to celebrate on a large scale 20 years in business - using racing experience to build a mid-engine sports car for public roads! The idea was to assemble a concept and offer it to some major manufacturer, for example, the same Toyota, or joint production, or all rights to automobile. TOM'S themselves, of course, did not pull such a large-scale project would. Unfortunately none of the scenarios worked and the Angel T01 prototype remained in a single copy. Although, as in the only: car was available in the virtual world to Gran Turismo 2 players! 
TOM'S Angel T01 debuted at the 1994 Tokyo Motor Show, and assembled in the UK. Considering the extremely modest dimensions of the car, you might think that under the fiberglass the body hides the aggregate base of the kei car (kei car - purely Japanese small cars, with engines no larger than 660 cubic centimeters, enjoying tax and other benefits). But how could it to enroll racing engineers?! They designed the chassis from scratch, albeit with using serial parts from Toyota vehicles. 
Everything from composite monocoque to doors "gull wing", was made individually. used in the suspension double wishbones and adjustable dampers. Installed in base engine is Toyota's renowned 1.6-liter 4A-GE with 160 hp Manual transmission is also Toyota, rear-wheel drive. There are no electronic security devices! 
Considering that the car weighs only 700 kg, it is fast! Acceleration to 100 km/ h was 5.5 seconds at the start of the project. Late engine modifications clearly made the Angel T01 even more dynamic. IN air conditioning is included as standard - a necessary part for a car that does not roll down the side windows! It's interesting that windshield borrowed from Lancia Stratos. 
The car is unique and it is very good that it did not disappear on backyard of the Tachi Oiwa Motor Sport production base. Angel T01 located in Japan, the owner maintains the car in excellent condition, which is not so difficult with Toyota units. 
