Norton to build a 200 horsepower superbike

Norton has been envisaging the creation of a full-blown superbike ever since the company came back to life in 2008. However, the lack of funding means that these plans never really took off. Now, though, the UK-based bike maker has announced that it has commenced the development of a new V4-powered 200bhp superbike.

Mr Simon Skinner, Norton head of design, said that the new superbike will be powered by a new V4 engine that implements learnings from Britain’s racing heritage and knowledge from top-notch automotive brands. The 1,200cc engine will employ GP-derived technologies to make it as sporty and advanced as the other superbikes in the market. Skinner further added that the body will be made entirely out of carbon fibre, while the frame will be handmade using aluminium and billet parts. With prices starting around GBP 30,000 (Rs 30 lakh), this yet unnamed superbike will be available in two versions.

Norton was recently in the news for receiving a monetary infusion of GBP 7.5 million (Rs 75 crore). A big chunk of this will go towards setting up a new manufacturing facility and development of new models, including this new V4 superbike.