Nichols N1A Driven: Modern '60s Sports Racer

First glance? I almost thought I'd traveled through time

The moment I sat in N1A, I was completely confused. It wasn't the kind of "Wow, so cool" confusion, but "Wait, is this car really legal on the road?" That kind of confusion. Pull the car door open (if those two straps count as doors) and you'll have to squeeze yourself into the pitifully small cockpit like yoga. The seat is as hard as a wooden board, but damn it, it feels just right. The steering wheel is as thin as a bicycle handle and has no assistance at all-like my dad's old Ford F-150, but more extreme. The instrument panel was as simple as a few round meters, and the tachometer's red line was marked at 8000 rpm. I swallowed. Is this serious?

The moment the fire started, all the hair on my back stood on end

Turn the key (yes, it's the key!) In the instant, the V8 engine woke up the entire parking lot with a "boom". Not the precise, filtered sound of today's sports cars-but the unadorned, pure beast roar with the clatter of metal. The exhaust pipe is right next to your ear, I can feel the seat vibrating, even my glasses shaking. Put in first gear? The gearbox's shifting stroke is ridiculously short, and each gear has a mechanical snap, like operating a precision rifle. The moment I released the clutch, I almost stalled the engine-because the pedal was as hard as stepping on a brick and the joint was extremely blurred. But once you run? God, this engine responds as fast as your nerve reflexes. With the slightest movement of the throttle, the front of the car will move forward, and the pulling feeling is linear and turbulent, not as neurotic as modern turbines. At 6000 rpm, the intake sound will suddenly become sharp, like someone screaming in your ear, and then running all the way to 8,000 rpm and running out of fuel-you can't help but laugh every time you change gears.

Curve? It's scratched, not used

I know you won't believe it, but this car feels purer in the corner than a Porsche GT3. There is no assistance in the direction, so you have to compete with the tires-your arms are sore when you turn around at low speeds, but once you get up, the road feel is horribly clear. You can feel every crack and every pebble on the asphalt road. The suspension is as hard as there are no springs, but it's not the kind that makes your spine hurt-it's tough that allows you to clearly know the limit of each tire's grip on the ground. I have driven a lot of modern supercars that use electronic systems to isolate you from danger, but the N1A is different. It's like saying,"Come on, do it yourself." The first time I pushed my head (understeer), the car body swayed a lot, but it was easy to save-let go of the accelerator and reverse the direction, and the rear of the car would slip obediently, and then snap back on the line. I dare say that you will never find the feeling of integrating people and cars in a car under 100,000 US dollars. Oh, by the way, the brake pedal stroke is so short that you have to "poke" it with your toes. I almost hit my head on the steering wheel for the first time.

Interior? Don't be kidding, this car has no interior.

Seriously speaking, the interior of the N1A is just an aluminum plate with a few wires. Door panels? That's a fabric belt. Storage space? There is a net pocket behind the seat that fits your wallet and mobile phone. Air conditioning? Yes, but there are only two air outlets, and the air volume is only "weak" and "weaker". stereo? I searched for a long time before I found a Bluetooth slightly hidden under the dashboard-the sound quality is about equivalent to a 19-yuan radio you bought in the supermarket. But you know what? It doesn't fucking matter. Because when you turn the rpm above 6,000 revolutions, you can't hear anything except the roar of the engine. Seat adjustment? No. You have to put gaskets under the cushion to adjust the height-it's true, and a pack of rubber gaskets of different thicknesses comes with the car. It took me twenty minutes to find a position where I didn't touch my knees. But once you're seated, you'll find that all the controls are within reach: the shift lever is right next to your thighs, and the steering wheel is just angled so you can drive on your stomach-yes, you have to lie down and watch the road like a racing driver. This interior is a mockery of the word "luxury", but the irony is addictive.

Who exactly did this car build for? Crazy? Or a dreamer?

After the test drive, I parked the car back in the dilapidated garage, and my ears were still buzzing after it turned off. Standing outside the car and looking at it, the lines are as simple as if they were drawn with a ruler. There are no exaggerated tail fins, no complex aerodynamic packages. There are only four wheels, a V8, and a steel tube frame. It looks like the tanks your grandfather saw on Le Mans when he was young, but the chassis is modern, the brakes are Brembo calipers, and the tires are semi-hot-melted-essentially wrapped in a '60s shell. The core of the 21st century. Are you asking me if it's worth it? $150,000 for a car that has no air conditioning, no power assistance, and even requires an optional radio? Reason tells me this is crazy. But when I recalled the feeling of my butt being popped out with a click when changing gears, and the look in the eyes of passers-by beside me that looked at a dinosaur-I actually began to seriously consider whether to sell my M2. After all, the Nichols N1A is not a car, it is a declaration: Don't fucking disgust me with those electronic gadgets, just give me a beast. If you can endure the worst conveniences of our era, you can get the purest driving experience of our era. I'm convinced.

Last comment: If you really want to buy it, remember a few things

First, your arm muscles must be trained well, otherwise you will want to cry when you turn around at a low speed. Second, don't drive in rainy days. This car has no ABS or stability system. The rear wheels can throw you into the ditch at any time. Third, its fuel consumption is about the equivalent of a pickup truck-I drove fiercely for 20 kilometers, and the oil gauge pointer dropped visibly to the naked eye. Fourth and most important: You must love the tension that you may lose control in the next second. If you just want to ride lazily every day when you commute, this car is your nightmare. But if you have a 1960s racing driver in your heart-even if it's just a little bit-then the Nichols N1A is definitely one of the wildest legal road cars you can buy in your life. My legs were shaking when I got out of the car, partly because of the bumps and partly because of excitement. Shit, I really want to drive it again.