Posted on 02/25/2008 10:21:59 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
Last updated at 12:01pm on 20th February 2008
The world's first wooden supercar has been unveiled - and it's faster than a Porsche or a Lamborghini.
The 'Splinter' car can turn out a whopping 700bhp from its twin supercharged, 4.6litre V8 engine - almost 300bhp more than a Porsche 911.
And with a top speed of a staggering 240mph, it will leave the Porsche or even the brand new Lamborghini Revanton trailing in its wake.
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Wooden supercar: The vehicle is faster than a Porsche
The entire car, which is made from a combination of maple, plywood and MDF, weighs just 1,134kg - some 240kg less than the super lightweight Porsche.
The eco-friendly two seater, which is fitted with a six-speed, manual gearbox, can sprint from 0 to 60mph in just over three seconds.
But despite its awesome power, designers say the stylish petrol driven car will still be able to do up to 20mpg.
Designer Joe Harmon, who is head of the project, said: "Wood is a truly amazing material to work with.
"It has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than aluminium or steel, and it possesses a versatility that makes many different types of construction techniques possible.
"The look, feel, and smell of a natural material like wood is not seen elsewhere and cannot be faked, and the satisfaction involved in making something from a piece of wood is awesome.
"This is a supercar designed to push boundaries and prove the potential of wood as a material."
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Carefully carved: The car is made completely out of wood
The 15ft-long car has a laminated wood veneer chassis and wooden wheel rims inside giant 20 inch diameter tyres.
Suspension is provided through laminated wooden arms and springs made from orange wood.
Joe, from North Carolina, US, added: "The light weight is achieved through careful design and composite construction.
"The Splinter is not made from any carved-out, solid chunks of wood, but rather moulded laminates."
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Under the bonnet: The wooden car can reach a top speed of 240mph
The car is due to hit the road later this year. The design company, Joe Harmon Design, has not yet decided on a price for the supercar.
And according to 27-year-old Joe, it might not be long before Formula One star Lewis Hamilton is behind the wheel of a wooden car.
He said: "An F1 car could definitely be made from wood.
"Some extremely creative engineering would have to go into it to overcome the strength-to-weight and mouldability benefits of carbon fibre, but it's definitely possible.
"Getting permission to race it would probably be a bigger challenge than engineering it. But it would be fun to try."
Drivers are kept safe by a roll cage which also stiffens the chassis and defines the rear profile of the car.
ping
Splinter...exactly what it does if wrecked.
Like, *PING*, dude.
Give me the number of the 787 print that calls out Maple, Plywood, or MDF, for a structural part and I'll wire you a fat load of cash! I like the GP-4 but it is neither certified nor has it ever been in production commercially. It is labor intensive to build and could be made more efficient with a more modern type of construction. The kit says it comes with "all the metal parts prefabbed." Needless to say it is a good example of why most kit builders select a different type of construction.
They need to get working on the wooden windshield, tires, and engine.
Also, maybe a genetically engineered tree that grows cars instead of fruit.
I perfer an 48 Desoto Woodie...
Reading this article gives me wood.
Well, I'm sure that, if they could talk, trees would wholly disagree that wood cars are eco-friendly, and I would certainly NOT want to be wreck one, with thousands of razor sharp splinters flying in all directions.
Wow. Nice creds. Maybe we work together. My point was not that wood is comparable to CFRP etc, it was simply that wood is one of many composite products available that have different qualities and applications. IMHO, as an astronaut/jillionaire/male-model/tycoon/FBI Fighter pilot Evaluator/syndicated cartoonist/semi-pro nose-tweeker.
All of that is true, except I'm not Batman, I try not to be evil, and my basement workshop is not secret. My company makes some pretty cool space-age sandwich panel stuff, too bad I can't say much more about that.
Anyway, since I've got big balls of steel I'll say a thing or two to try to keep Joe from killing himself when his car cracks up. Even if he's using FEA it will not properly simulate the odd directional strength properties of wood and how bond failures propagate under vibratory and cyclic loading. I know my FEA says it does, but it is only as good as what you know. So if you don't know the answer before you run the simulation then you don't know if it computed things right. He needs to drop back and choose the best material for each part and not just stick to organic composites. Otherwise his wooden bearings are really going to suck, and creosote is not the same as a firewall. If he would settle for 50% of the structure being wooden or something like that I could take his venture a little more seriously. I like what he's doing, I just don't think he's smart enough to keep from being a danger to himself and others with this current project.
I hear you, but I just can’t imagine the loads on this guy’s car being more extreme than those of the Mosquito. When you talk vibration, I can’t help but recall the wooden tail rotor blades of the Kaman SH-2 SeaSprite. Anyway, I think we both know what we’re both saying. You wore me out. But, since you have the screen nic, I have to ask—didja see the REAL Me-262 that was recently built and flown up here in WA? Pretty neat. If you got the right presidents on your bills you can buy one of the five I think they are building to sell. I seem to recall it being something on the order of maybe 3-Mil.
‘Til we meet again, Batman,
Redquill
I’ve only seen videos of the ME-262 flying. At this point in time most of my coins have Honest Abe on them. I work in aviation remember. My money train is just around the corner and chugging my way. I got my fingers crossed. My ME-262 will need room for the wife and two babies also or she won’t let me buy it. I’ll have to bring this deficiency up with Willy Messerschmitt if I see him.
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