With a standard GM 5.7 liter V-8 -not even the 6.0 or 7.0 liter versions -the Mosler MT900S shows what can be done with good design. Thanks to light weight combined with some neat ideas, the Mosler has the performance of a top exotic car at half the price. Sure, this is a mid-engined performance car rather than a luxury job, but you do get air conditioning and electrically operated windows. No ABS or traction control though, and a fairly basic interior.
Based on a racing design -MT900R -the Mosler MT900S is in the mold of the Pagani Zonda and Ascari KZ1. It is a wide, low car that looks at home on the track. Not surprising because the car is a modified race car, but nevertheless, one that is street legal in the USA and Europe.
Mosler MT900S looks like a sports racer
With that wide nose, tiny grille and low coachroof the Mosler MT900S really looks the part. Sensational. The tiny grille is flanked by a pair of small intakes for the brakes, and there are four headlamps behind plastic, faired into the fenders. Air is drawn out from the radiator through neat louvers in the hood, and the narrow curved coachroof contrasts with the wide flanks of the car.
In the side are deep slots, to remove air from the front brakes, and channel air into the engine compartment. The overall shape is classic mid-engined coupe, with curved fenders, a simple back end with standard circular rear lamps and a big wing above. There is an air intake in the roof for the engine, and the rear window is concealed by louvers, so rear visibility is not good.
Carbon fiber hull
Nor is the Mosler MT900S lacking in the chassis department. The car is based on a carbon fiber composite hull, with chrome-molybdenum sub-frames front and rear -just like on the most expensive exotic cars. Rather than reinvent the wheel, Mosler has used Corvette aluminum upper wishbones in conjunction with its own chrome-molybdenum lower wishbones - a light and inexpensive solution.
Coil spring and three-way adjustable dampers are used all round with adjustable anti-roll bars so you can set the suspension up the way you want it. Rack and pinion steering is fitted -but you don't get any power assistance.
Power comes from the GM 5.7 liter V-8 giving just 435 bhp at 6,000 rpm. Just the simple pushrod ohv unit, without supercharging or anything special -there is a racing version which produces more power, of course. With 400 lb ft (540 Nm) of torque, the engine can produce sensational performance because the Mosler MT900S weighs in at just 2,450 lb (1,112 kg) which gives a power-to-weight ratio of almost 400 bhp per tonne, which is well up in the exotic car class.
To transmit the power, a Getrag six-speed transaxle, similar to that used by Porsche is installed.
Big brakes, wheels and tires
Massive 14-inch (355 mm) discs front and rear with Brembo calipers provide the stopping power, while the Michelin Pilot PS2 tires provide the grip. They are 275/35ZR-18s at the front, and 335/30ZR-20s at the rear, where the aluminum wheels have 12-inch rims. Mosler is developing carbon fiber rims to reduce weight even further.
All this combines to produce a massive performer, with a raucous exhaust note to match. Not only will the car hit over 180 mph, but it has recorded a lateral acceleration of 1.08g on the skidpan in a steady-state cornering test. And you can get all this for $189,000. In truth, you don't get the luxury you get in richer men's toys, but if its looks, raw power and performance in any situation you want, you could do a lot worse than buy a Mosler MT900S.
