As the motorsport engineering degree at Swansea Metropolitan University celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, one of the first graduates of the course has created a new supercar which has taken the world by storm.

Now its heading for production from £75,000.

Ignacio Fernandez Rodriquez, was a part of the initial cohort of students on the world’s first motorsport engineering and design degree at Swansea Met, then Swansea Institute.
In 2001, he graduated with a 2:1 and went on to forge a high profile career within the motorsport industry, working with the likes of Prodrive, Seat and the Mitsubishi World Rally team.

In 2003, Ignacio set up his own consultancy, IFR Automotive, offering an uncompromised approach to automotive research directed towards developing sustainable transportation systems and protecting society’s desire for mobility.

The inspiration to dive into the fascinating world of vehicle research and development originated from his vision of creating a company that could take a leading role in the automotive market in terms of the innovation of new technologies.

“In theory, motorsport is the right environment to quickly develop new technology, but in practice the restrictions imposed by championship rules and regulations and the budgetary constraints imposed by sponsors and their focus on marketing, means no real opportunity for pure and unfettered research and development – a situation recognised by the FIA,” said Ignacio.

In its short existence, IFR Automotive has been pronounced the Best Start Up Company of 2004 by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, University and Enterprise Association, and in 2006 it was nominated as one of Spain’s top five industry research and development businesses.

Ignacio’s most recent development received many accolades at the recent British International Motor Show in London (right).
The Aspid, Spanish for asp, is a supercar two-seater vehicle with no creature comforts omitted, promising to be usable around town as well competitive on a track.

SHOW SENSATION:
Ignacio Fernandez (front) pictured with business partners Xavier Mallafre (left), Ana Sanchez (centre) and Breno Oliveira (right). 

In addition, it offers good fuel economy and low carbon dioxide emissions.
The first production models will be ready later this year and IFR has already taken advance orders, with a six month waiting time for each car. The standard model will cost £75,000 but more advance versions will be available at £107,000.
About the Aspid, Ignacio said, “When we set out to create a new luxury brand it became very clear from our market research that customers wanted to have fun with their sports cars. Equally, by entering this market with a brand new concept it was important to offer something radically different from what was already available.
“It became clear that what would be totally unique would be to offer all the emotional appeal, ultra high levels of performance and luxury of a supercar, but packaged into a small, compact and ultra lightweight vehicle, that would also be more in keeping with our environmentally conscious times.”
Head of the School of Automotive Engineering at Swansea Met, Roger Dowden said, “We are very proud of Ignacio’s achievements. He, like many of our motorsport graduates, has made a huge impact in the industry, both with the world’s leading companies and now with his hugely successful consultancy.
“I’ve kept in touch with him ever since he graduated from the course in 2001 and it was a delight to join him at the British Motor Show where the Aspid has gained so many plaudits.”
Swansea Met has produced many students who have forged careers with some of the top motorsport and performance engineering companies in the world. These include Honda F1, Red Bull F1, Williams F1, Prodrive, Mitsubishi Ralliart, Ford Rally, Yamaha MotoGP and Bridgestone to name but a few.
Earlier this year, Swansea Met became one of the first universities in the UK to gain the highly prestigious title of Motorsport Academy Recognised Educator.
In the recent international Formula Student competition at Silverstone, the Swansea Met team confirmed themselves as sixth best in the world, second best in the UK and best in Wales.

More than 100 potential customers have signed up for an exclusive two days of high performance motoring thrills test driving the new Aspid sports car.
Following the successful introduction of the car, IFR Automotive is now seeking to create a network of international dealers.

We’ve been absolutely delighted with the level of interest from customers, the media and industry alike,” said company founder and automotive engineer Ignacio Fernandez.   “Naturally, we’re thrilled that so many people have signed up for this unique opportunity to evaluate the Aspid on test tracks and public roads.