2008 - Espera Montbéliard

Katana

After the Genesis and Nemesis presented at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, Espera Montbéliard students set about designing and building two other prototypes in record time: the Katana and the Mulsanne.

The Katana is impressive

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The Katana is a small two-seater sports car built in record time (two months) by students at Espera Montbéliard. The Katana is powered by a 1.6 l V-tec four-cylinder engine from a Honda Civic, developing 160 hp. The chassis is of course Dual Frame. The rear section can be detached and removed for easy maintenance.

The front right-hand rim was damaged just before the presentation at the Paris Motor Show. The Team Dynamic team rebuilt one as a matter of urgency, in order to be on time for the show.
The presence of a smartphone and a car radio is almost incongruous in this type of vehicle.

Partnership with Orange

Orange has teamed up with Espera Montbéliard to design the Katana's dashboard to integrate a smartphone and a Parrot RK 8200 Bluetooth hands-free car radio. Today, it may seem trivial, but in 2008, few cars could connect to a smartphone.

What has become of Katana?

After remaining at the school, the Katana was sold in early summer 2011 and was located in the Paris region. The current owner bought it in 2019 with the aim of getting it road-legal. Unfortunately, this proved unsuccessful. Now based in Reims, France, the Katana was put up for sale on the Le Bon Coin website at the end of October 2026 for €37,990.

In brief
1- Dual frame chassis
2- Honda Civic 160 hp engine
3- Partnership with Orange for multimedia
  • Honda Civic four-cylinder engine
  • Displacement 1600 cm3
  • 160 horsepower
  • Transverse rear mid-engine position
  • Manual transmission
  • Dual Frame chassis
  • Rear-wheel drive