Leela Motors
Passion, Control, Speed, Affordability
Leela Motors
In the beginning
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(Click the picture for larger size)
It all started a long time ago...
When I was about 13 a friend introduced me to Road & Track magazine. This was real boon because I became a sports car enthusiast in the extreme. I was born Switzerland and after moving to England, Canada, and the US, we moved back to Switzerland at age 14. I read Denis Jenkinsons' account of driving the Milla Miglia with Sterling Moss, and books about high speed driving. What's more, we drove over mountain passes with hairpin after hairpin, up to the snow, and down the south side where the lakes and sunny beaches of the Italian riviera called to us. It felt like home to me.
Fortunately I had very cooperative parents who trusted me enough to let me drive the family car on public roads as soon as I could see over the dash. I practiced the techniques I read about and even schooled my older brothers on how to take corners, downshift properly, and accelerate out of a turn. They were very good natured about having a really enthusiastic younger brother/co-pilot/driving instructor in the passenger seat with them!
Our Philosophy
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Our philosophy is simple: keep it light, strong, functional, and of course it has to look good. The Italians have always had a flare for this. So while the design does not exactly 'copy' anything, those familiar with older Alfa race cars will no doubt see some family resemblance.
In designing the chassis there is a fine line between speed and safety. The lighter the better for speed but making it crashworthy is also a priority. So the chassis is designed in such a way as to make it as safe as reasonably possible and at the same time kep it 'competitively' light. Power is not the problem. The 2.5, 3.0, or 3.3 litre Alfa motors can make plenty of power. At Laguna Seca I have seen a 1600 cc Lotus Super 7 beat a 427 Cobra, and a Chevron 2 litre beat a 1000 hp 917 Porsche. A big engine has an advantage on high speed tracks with long straights, but a light car with excellent handling and a good motor is hard to beat on a tight turn track.
With 230 hp, 1730 lbs.(7.52 lbs per hp.), 50/50 weight distribution and 235 tires, handling is where the Leela shines.
In an attempt to keep the chassis weight down, thin wall tubing was used spaced appropriately to give good strength and stiffness. Solid shafts such as the steering column were replaced with tubing. Thick bolts were drilled out. The current weight of 1730 includes the passenger seat and the .120 w.t. roll bar, which combined weigh app. 80-90 lbs.