Weighing half as much as a Miata and boasting three times the power, this Silver Car EF10 is the closest thing to a shifter kart with bodywork. Just enough bodywork to give the driver a modicum of protection from the trees and guardrails, mind you.

The GSX-R motor sitting betwixt the rear wheels is force-fed by a turbocharger and revs to 13,000 rpm. The 380 horsepower available is more than enough to propel the 1,100-pound package through this narrow course—that’s 740 horsepower per ton. It’s no drag car either; the chassis provides Portuguese hillclimb champion Pedro Salvador with enough confidence to slide precisely between the guardrails.

The spaceframed car uses an FIA-approved steel rollcage to keep the driver safe, a vast windscreen for visibility, and wide doors to ease ingress and egress.

Despite it’s VW Bug-like proportions, the EF10 handles with the agility of cars costing ten times as much. Photo credit: Silver Car

Roadholding comes from double-wishbone pushrod suspension with inboard dampers, which are Engimek’s four-way adjustable units. Most useful on a course like this is the quick steering rack—just 1 turn lock to lock. AP Racing 265mm brakes adorn all four corners, a good amount of downforce comes from the floor—not just the front and rear wings. To keep the aero platform stable, the car is incredibly stiff—just note how it lifts the inside wheel at 0:37!

As you might imagine, the differential is a locking unit and easily puts down the 1.0-liter engine’s power well, and while the car is offered with traction control, it doesn’t seem to need it. When deploying all that Suzuki horsepower at 0:31, the Silver Car gladly sticks the rear and rotates ever so slightly out of the hairpin. All in all, it doesn’t look dramatic; just sure-footed and nimble.

Some of that certainty comes from the paltry curb weight, which is still not enough for the manufacturer. Currently, Silver Car is working towards reducing the weight to 1,030 pounds and bumping the bike motor’s output to the 450-horsepower range with carbon fiber bodywork to replace the standard fiberglass panels.

The tiny spaceframe can be dressed in fiberglass or carbon fiber, depending on the owner’s preference. Image credit: Silver Car

Some rally cars seem to lose some of their aura when they’re placed on larger, wider racing tracks, but not the Silver Car. The power seems more than adequate, and while the rear might be snappy, there’s no denying the slides are easily held. An avid driver might go through rubber quickly, but if they’re the type to buy a car like this, I doubt they’ll bat an eyelash at the tire bill.

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Hayabusa-Powered Hillclimber?

For those who don’t find the absurd performance of the EF10 enough to satisfy their urges, Silver Car produces another, faster machine with even more performance. Their ludicrous EF13 uses a turbocharged, 1.3-liter engine from a Suzuki Hayabusa to power a 1,200-pound package. That gives it a power-to-weight ratio similar to that of an LMP1 car! That sort of performance ought to thrill even the most jaded racing junkies.