Freestream: A Small Sports Car That Out-Accelerates The Biggest And Best
Latest super-sports car from England is the Caparo Freestream supercar, which will have a power-to-weight ratio of 1,000 bhp per ton! The Bugatti Veyron which has 1,001 bhp manages about 560 bhp per tonne, so how you can see that the Caparo is streets ahead of any other supercar in power-to-weight ratio, and that is what makes cars accelerate fast. And fast acceleration is very exciting, and can also improve safety of the car in some circumstances.
So how does the Caparo do it? Not with 2,000 bhp because the car would weigh at least 2.5 tons, which would miss the target. In fact, Bugatti has demonstrated that sheer power means a lot of weight, particularly in the transmission and brakes.
To get a high power-to-weight-ratio you need a light car. And why is a high power-to-weight-ratio important? Because it dictates how fast the car accelerates flat out. A car with a high power-to-weight-ratio can cover the ground quicker because it gets out of corners fast and accelerates up the straights faster. So long as the handling is good, the car will be very fast anywhere.
Lightweight solution
Instead of going for a big engine with masses of power, the designers, who worked on the McLaren F1, have gone for ultra lightweight and a compact V-8 engine based on F1 technology. The result is a pencil-slim car with 480 bhp at 10,500 rpm from a supercharged 2.4 liter engine, and a weight of under 1,100 lb. Both the new engine and transmission are very light, as are all the components. The very narrow body without fully enclosed fenders also reduces weight.
The whole design concept has been aimed at reducing weight, ore not putting in things that add weight. First, the power train is very light compared with mass-production units. Then, the carbon fiber body/chassis is also much lighter than most, as designers without Grand Prix experience tend to over-design their structures. Also, because the power train is light, the loads on the body are lower, so again less weight does not need to be built into the structure.
It has a very narrow cockpit, with the passenger sitting slightly behind the driver to reduce width, so this is more of a track racer or trackday special than a road car. Even so, this car changes the concept of exotic cars to where it should be - ultra-lightweight, compactness and exciting performance round twisty roads or circuits.
To save weight they have adopted a narrow coupe body with cycle-type front mudguards, and side-mounted radiators which flow into the rear fenders.
In fact, these are all factors used by Colin Chapman to design the early Lotus cars, and since used by all racing car companies. In other words, the Caparo Freestream really takes advantage of Grand Prix technology to build a supercar.
The Caparo Freestream looks very unusual, but if you want sheer performance this is it! The makers say the car will hit 200 mph, and accelerate from a standing start of 100 mph in 5.5 seconds!! Holy mackerel that is fast. Oh, and they also say that owing to the downforce available, the T1 will be able to corner and brake at 3g - incredible. This tremendous cornering power and braking would not be possible without the use of Grand Prix design principles.
On top of all that, Caparo, which produces a lot of components for the auto industry, have priced the Freestream at about $320,000 (?176,000).
John Hartley is editor of http://www.fast-autos.com, an online magazine devoted to fast cars and supercars. He has written from many of the world's top auto magazines, and has written many books about cars and the auto industry, including 'Suspension and Steering Q&A' and 'The Electronics Revolution in the Motor Industry'.
Related Articles:
Former MN Gophers Athletic Star Joins Lommen Abdo Law Firm; Lee Hutton III Brings Sports Representation to Firm's Growing Entertainment Practice Plus
A former Golden Gopher letterman has joined the law firm of Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King & Stageberg, P.A., effective October 1, 2007. Lee Hutton III, who played for the Gophers between 1994 and 1999, brings sports representation of players from the NFL and area coaches to the firm's growing entertainment practice, plus considerable litigation skills in construction law, products liability, premises liability, advertising law and other areas. Hutton was previously at Johnson & Condon, P.A., in Edina, MN, where he was an Associate Attorney in the Liability and Litigation Group (2003-2007). With entertainment law offices in New York and Minneapolis, the law firm boasts one of the largest entertainment practices in the Midwest. Lee will further ex...
Parents: You Can Do Something About Professional Sports Ethics
Most of us can agree that there is a lack of ethics standards within professional sports today. The fact that many of today's sports heroes are ethical is a stroke of luck.
The Sports Bra As Part Of Womens Apparel
Studies show that 75 to 80% of women in the United States do not use the right bra when working out. This is because these people believe that the same thing worn in the office can also be used in a physical activity.
Good Sports Handicappers Are In Midseason Form in the Preseason
The great Emmitt Smith did a commercial in which he said that championships are won in the preseason. Of course I found it ironic that in said year he missed the entire preseason and the first two games of the regular schedule before leading Dallas to the Super Bowl. But I digress. The thrust is that handicappers have a whole heap to win in the preseason as well.
Tips For Successful Handicapping Sports Bets
To get the best return on investment in betting, professionals resort to what is called handicapping Handicapping is the process of researching and analyzing a certain sport to the point where you should be able to make an educated guess on how they will perform
Superstitions in Sports (1999)
Superstitions have been around since the dawn of man. In our contemporary age, we do as much as anyone has in history perpetuating superstitions.
Trends for Best Sports Website Detailed in New Report from Web Marketing Association
Updated Web Marketing Association' Internet Standards Assessment Report Includes Historical Data Derived from a Decade of Hosting Internet Award Competition, WebAwards, and Provides Best Practices for Sports Web Design
Sports LearningEdge Appoints Paul Stewart Director of Hockey Operations
Sports LearningEdge LLC (SLE) has appointed Paul Stewart to help the company capitalize on the wildly successful Hockey PlayersEdge site launched with the National Hockey League last year. The company partners with sports stake holders to help them provide parents and their kids worldwide the online learning tools to get an edge in sports and in life.
Sports Betting Affiliate Industry
Have you entertained the thought of designing a business related to sports betting or gambling? If you have ever entertained the thought, or even attempted to make a profit in the sports betting industry, you know how hard it can be to actually generate a reasonable profit. However, as the popularity of the world wide web continues to grow, it is providing more feasible opportunities for small business to make a profit in the sports betting industry. One of the newest, and most popular ways that the internet provides to create more opportunities to profit is the sports betting affiliate industry.
Sports Museum of America Partners with National Soccer Hall of Fame to Create Nation's First All-Sports Museum
The National Soccer Hall of Fame now joins over 50 single-sport Halls of Fame, National Governing Bodies, Museums and other sports organizations across North America as a Founding Sports Partner of the Sports Museum of America (SmA), www.sportsmuseum.com. Scheduled to open in New York City in May 2008, SmA is the Nation's first and only museum to celebrate all sports under one roof. Filled with original films, state-of-the-art interactive exhibits/displays and an iconic collection of memorabilia, SmA will richly showcase the history, grandeur and significance of sports in American culture through great sports' stories of courage, education and trium...
Youth Leadership In Sports
Leadership has been called the most studied and least understood topic of any in the social sciences. Leadership is the process of providing direction, energizing others, and obtaining their voluntary commitment to the leader's vision. A leader creates a vision and goals and influences others to share that vision and work toward the goals. Leaders are thus concerned with bridging about change and motivating others to support that vision to change. As scholars state, "management involves coping with complexity, while leadership is about coping with change."
Discounts For Sports Apparel
Retailers have to pay for the production of goods before adding a price mark up and selling it to the consumer. Many will add 30 to 50% off the costs then sell this to the public to be able to make a profit.
SPORTS - Best Homebased Business Ideas: Part 2
Building a sports merchandise business on the internet means loads of competition. Still, done right, a sports merchandise business could be very profitable.
Web Marketing Association Names Best Sports Industry Web Site Following 2006 WebAward Competition
Best Web sites announced in 10th Annual WebAward Competition covering 96 industries including sports.
Front Row with Sports Travel Insider Robert Tuchman Looks at all the Major College Bowl Games on the VoiceAmerica's Sports Radio Network
Front Row with the Sports Travel Insider, Robert Tuchman, will host the only radio show dedicated to travel and the college bowl games December 20th at 12 p.m. Eastern on the VoiceAmerica Sports Network. Key insiders from the Outback Bowl, GMAC Bowl, and Sun Bowl will share key insight on planning travel to these games.