The Caparo Group, the parent company behind the Caparo T1 and one of Britain’s leading steel manufacturers, takes another hit after announcing bankruptcy. Earlier this week, the heir to the company, Agnad Paul, committed suicide by jumping off an eight-story building in central London.
The company is best known in the automotive sphere for the creation of the Caparo T1 supercar, a 550-plus-hp street-legal monster that was just as punishing to drive as it was rewarding. Weighing in under 1,400 pounds, the T1 had the highest power-to-weight-ratio of any street-legal car. With an aero package, it could even offer up enough downforce for 2.5g high-speed cornering.
As the years progressed, the Caparo T1 evolved, but always toed the line between road car and race car. The newest model in the pipeline, the Caparo T1 Evolution, draws much inspiration from current Formula 1 vehicles in terms of styling, but gets power from an Indycar-derived 3.5-liter V-8 that delivers 700 hp. It’s unclear if this model will make it to production now.
While the downturn in steel pricing contributed heavily to the company’s financial trouble, company administrators have questioned Paul’s involvement in flopped business ventures as another factor in Caparo’s woes. With the future of the company currently up in the air, the news of the company heir’s death does not bode well.
Just weeks ago, Caparo Group was forced to cut 450 jobs in the U.K., as steel prices plummeted. Another 1,200 jobs hang in the balance as the company tries to rebound. The Paul family has yet to comment, but inquiries into the heir’s death and the future of the company are ongoing.
Source: Daily Mail UK
The post Caparo T1 Future Looks Bleak as Company Heir Dies in Apparent Suicide appeared first on Motor Trend.
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