300 Mile Per Hour Hypercar

OVERVIEW

The embodiment of American machinery, a twin turbocharged V8 engine, was the centrepiece of the car – capable of producing 1500+ horsepower and 1500+ Nm of torque. By no means an easy feat, but we used the full breadth of our motorsport and automotive expertise to make that challenge a reality.

SPECIFICATION

Body: two-door coupé/roadster

Layout: rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive

Engine: 6.6 L twin-turbocharged

Power: 1500+ hp, 1500+ Nm

Vehicle weight: 1400 kg 

DEVELOPMENT

Our relationship with the OEM dates back to 2010. We were involved in the design of their first high-performance car, which featured a new subframe for the rear suspension, brand-new bodywork and new engine installation, all retrofitted into an already existing sports car. Shortly after that, the company approached us with a design for a brand-new car. After almost a decade in the making, they came back to us in 2018 with the intention to begin production on what would become one of the fastest cars in the world.

With a target of 300 mph, it was vital to get the aerodynamics of the car right; any unnecessary drag would make that goal impossible to achieve. After some initial aerodynamic work by the OEM’s design house, we took the project inhouse to further develop the bodywork and other components for maximum aerodynamic efficiency.

There were many elements for us to consider in the development of the project: we needed to retain the initial physical appearance requested by the OEM; the car had to function correctly to achieve the desired top speed; the car had to be ergonomically optimised with the packaging constraints of the powertrain, cabin and vehicle suspension platform; and it had to be manufactured with minimal complexities to make the project financially viable.

There were some challenges with the initial design. Certain elements were holding back the car’s speed capabilities, so our engineers went straight to computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations to determine exactly what needed to be adapted in order to get the best out of the car.

The car is comprised of a carbon composite monocoque chassis with full carbon composite bodywork. The front and rear structures are steel and aluminium fabrications that cradle the engine and support all of the suspension components - a choice that we made due to their ease of build and modification. This decision also balanced out the cost versus weight ratio; building these structures out of carbon fibre and making them part of the monocoque would have increased the cost dramatically for diminishing returns for the application of this car.

Working in coordination with a separate design house in charge of styling, we embarked on work to reduce drag and get to a level of downforce to keep the car stable at 300mph. Ensuring this process was carried out correctly was one of the most important pillars of this project, and an aspect that is always challenging. We ran various tests through CFD programmes to determine which key elements had to be changed to increase downforce without being detrimental to the amount of drag. Our expertise in motorsport applications helped us understand the fundamentals of how this could be implemented. The priority became drag reduction, with downforce being a secondary requirement – unlike a race car where drag reduction and maximising downforce go hand in hand – however it still required the same iterative design process that we thrive on. 

With the high downforce levels produced at top speed, the tyres naturally gain negative camber as the suspension compresses. Camber angle is a vital setting to get right for high-speed runs. When it is wrong, it can prove catastrophic – if there is any camber, the shoulders of the tyres will overheat, leading to tyre failure. For this reason, we needed to keep the tyre as square to the ground as possible. This poses a secondary challenge, as the car needs to be functional on both track and normal road driving, meaning different set-ups are needed for high-speed runs and standard driving. Incorporating both into the design of the vehicle posed a risk to some elements, such as the drive shafts and their components. Guaranteeing the rubber boots stayed together at such high centripetal forces was integral with wheel rotation at speeds of 2000 to 3000 RPM. 

Because of the velocity this car needed to achieve, the car had to be stable – meaning suspension came into play. If you had too much downforce, the car would have to be incredibly stiffly sprung. The manufacturer’s experience with sports cars, meant that they knew exactly what they wanted with static wheel positions, cambers, vertical bump and droop. The initial process was to take the geometry from these predetermined elements as a baseline to improve upon, before incorporating the suspension components into the chassis. Using the coordinates of the suspension mounting and pivot points as a base, we were able to determine what all the other elements would be rotating around.

Our responsibility with the engine was to receive all of the different components and assemble the powertrain in the most effective way. starter motor, flywheel, clutch and turbocharger installations and exhaust layout. The manufacturer’s unwavering trust in us meant that we were able to develop the optimal solution to package the entire powertrain, including all of the components we had developed, into a lightweight solution suitable for the application and requirements of the car.

Precision was everything when it came to the engine. Because of its nature - entirely anti vibration (AV) mounted rather than being a stressed member - clearance was required so the engine would have enough space for movement around other components within its vicinity. When the car brakes and accelerates, its torsional forces within the driveline move the engine, meaning tolerances as little as two to three millimetres can make all the difference.

We were also involved in the design of the electronics for this project, helping identify suitable components, packaging them and designing the wiring harnesses right through, from high level architectures to finished harness drawings. In conjunction with another UK-based company, we worked to develop the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for the car to create a low-cost, lightweight solution.

Manufacturing a vehicle is always a challenge. Thankfully, we have a wealth of experience in this area. We follow strict processes to ensure every car that we deliver are up to the highest standard.

One unique challenge was that the cars needed to be shipped across the Atlantic in sections, a requirement requested by our customer. We fully assembled each car, excluding the powertrain, to confirm that the vehicles were ready for final assembly. During the commissioning of the cars, we tested all the major systems including all electrical components – from the handbrake to the power distribution module.

We delivered a truly bespoke design that can challenge some of the world’s leading hypercars. It is a showcase of our vast knowledge and expertise, proving to the industry, once again, that we consistently deliver high-performance excellence.