Lemon Series: Sin S1

The Sin R1 was a huge hit at tracks around the world, but the Sin S1 showcased at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show was a Lemon from the start.

Not only was this car destined to be one of the worst things we’ve ever seen, but it also showed up in Geneva wearing bright yellow body panels to let you know it wasn’t meant to be anything special. Critics of the S1 took one look at it, shook their heads, and chose to leave it alone, not wanting to be too negative about something other people, mostly from the manufacturer, were excited about.

Geneva is the Right Place for Oddities

If the team at SIN was looking for a great place to show off something strange, they found it. The 2018 Geneva Motor Show gave us a production-ready flying car along with the ugliest vehicle in the market today, the S1. Maybe the S1 can catch a ride and fly away on the flying car, kind of like the Southwest commercials we see where people just “want to get away,” from the troubles facing them. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and now we have a lemon car to discuss.

It’s an Affordable Modular Car

The advertising for the S1 tells us this is an affordable car that can wear different skins. This build is completely different from what we saw with the R1.  The R1 had a permanent body over the GM-sources V8 engine. The R1 was a huge hit, especially for the racing team, the S1, is not. While it might be a modular car, the S1 has too many things going on for us to consider this to be a serious car. Maybe one of the optional versions of this car could work for some, but the version that showed up in Switzerland.

Is the S1 Affordable?

If you compare the Sin S1 to its predecessor, the R1, it is certainly affordable. The R1 has a starting price of more than $200,000 each while the S1 comes in at $49,900. Some may look at the S1 and think that this is a lot of money to pay for a Lego set with an engine underneath. This describes the S1, making it a flop from the start.

What Does it Mean to be a Modular Car?

When a car is offered as modular, this means it can wear different skins. Typically, a basic chassis is the foundation of the car and various bodies can be used to give the car the look desired. There are also different interior layouts for some modular vehicles along with various powertrain options. Sin makes the S1 more attractive to buyers by telling them the modular body they desire can be ordered even after the initial car. This might be an attractive feature for some drivers, but they might want to learn more about this car before placing an order for this lemon.

The Sin S1 isn’t as Modular as Most Would Like

The idea of modular cars isn’t anything new in the automotive market. Several concept vehicles have shown up at different shows with this idea. Unfortunately for them, most of the time, these modular cars don’t sell at a high volume. Many cars built this way, the modular aspect allows the vehicle to go from a family-style SUV to a convertible with a few changes. The foundation is the chassis, which can accommodate nearly every type of vehicle that we might want to drive.

Did Sin do a good job making a modular car? Several builds make up what you find in the S1, so that’s a good start. You can have an open-cockpit track day car, an open-wheel track day car, or a full-bodied track day car. It looks like no matter how you configure the S1, you’re stuck on the track. For the price, that might not be a bad situation if this car has the performance you need. Supposedly, these cars are street legal, just not advertised as more than simply track day cars.

Three Powertrains for Performance

Adding to the confusion of the various body shapes and strange angles of the S1, we see three different powertrains to give us the drive desired. The plug-in hybrid option offers a 24-kWh battery pack working with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. This creates the horsepower needed and a driving range of 124 miles on the track. The entire car weighs 485 pounds, making it extremely light.

There’s also a full-electric option that brings 120 horsepower and a sequential racing gearbox.  This model gives drivers 124-248 miles of racing depending on the size of the battery pack. This car has two battery pack options, a 24 kWh model, and a 48 kWh setup. Two gasoline engines give you the power you want in the S1. The first is a 2.3-liter turbocharge four-cylinder model and the other is a 3.5-liter V6. The turbo-4 gives you 310 horsepower and 320 lb.-ft. of torque.

Choose the V6  which produces 365 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. The lightweight build allows it to rocket to 60 mph in less than 2.8 seconds with the smaller engine.  You can reach this speed in under 2.5 seconds with the V6 powering the ride. If you could look past the ugliness of the build, you can see the S1 is easily one of the quickest cars on the market.

That Body Didn’t Do This Car Any Favors

Unfortunately for Sin, the body style was nearly impossible for most people to get past. This means the S1 continues to be a lemon in the market and isn’t used for much at all. That’s too bad. This is a fast car, capable of impressive track performances, but it’s just not the right build.  Not many people will part ways with their hard-earned money for the Sin S1.