Cool, but I want one of these:
http://www.testdriven.co.uk/photos/X7pUZMVi.jpg
The Freestream T1. By the same engineers who worked at McLaren on the F1.
As the world's first road car to exceed 1,000bhp-per-tonne the Freestream T1 is perhaps bound to grab the headlines. Yet the car couldn't be further removed from the 'no expense spared high technology approach' that might be imagined. Indeed the same key issues facing mainstream car designers - such as active and passive safety, vehicle performance as well as weight, complexity and cost - were all addressed at a fundamental level when the Freestream T1 was conceived and was a primary inspiration for the car.
"To demonstrate our understanding of these fundamental vehicle engineering issues we set out to design an optimum package for delivering 1,000bhp-per-tonne," says Freestream co-founder Ben Scott-Geddes. "Interestingly, the sweet spot on the curve that satisfies many of these issues is 500 horsepower in a vehicle with a mass of 500kg."
"You can deliver higher engine outputs up to 1,000bhp and beyond," explains fellow director Graham Halstead, "but that means more weight, which adds significant cost and complexity to the car. Conversely, a 300bhp-per-300kg approach can severely compromise crash worthiness because of insufficient structural mass. An extremely lightweight approach can cause costs to spiral through the use of exotic materials. And less horsepower means a restricted top speed and aerodynamic performance."
Unbelievable. :shock:
S.
