Monday answer
Gary Smyth
John is today's winner. A gold star for your forehead.
http://www.joeharmondesign.com/
The car is from North Carolina State. It is called the "Splinter". It was debuted in the autumn 2010.
Made by (older) student Joe Harmon who decided to design and build a concept car for his graduate project in industrial design, he opted to follow the supercar formula � creating a high-performance sports car that could compete with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti.
To make the project even more challenging, Harmon crafted the supercharged two-seater almost entirely out of wood.
"I want to show that you can make something really fast and really strong out of wood and that wood isn't an old and antiquated low-technology material," Harmon says. "Wood has its pros and cons, just like every other material does."
"Practicality is a minor deal," he says. "I don't know how many 700-horsepower supercars are practical. It's about style and performance and this car will have all that in spades. This car will not be a grocery getter."
If you did drive the Splinter to the grocery store, you'd have to shop light. The car won't have a trunk. But it will have many of the features you'd expect in a high-performance sports car, including a modified Cadillac Northstar 4.6 liter V-8 engine, twin superchargers, rack-and-pinion steering, anti-roll bar, and rear-wheel drive.
At 2,500 lbs., the car is about the same weight as a Mini-Cooper � but a lot faster. Harmon estimates it will be capable of hitting between 220 and 240 miles per hour. But he isn't just concerned with raw power.
"Top speed isn't something you should set a goal for; it's a byproduct," he says. "I don't want to sacrifice any drivability to try to get it to a magical top speed. I just want it to drive well and fast on a road course.
The wood used to make the car is composite material that is molded into various forms with a vacuum � much like carbon fiber � not carved or sculpted.
This process allows Harmon to combine sheets of paper-thin wood veneer to create the body panels and other parts to exact specifications. High-quality woods, like cherry and ash, will be used for the polished top layer; low-cost woods will be used underneath.
"The whole side of the car is one mold," Harmon says. "We'll likely lay that up as one piece of wood and cut the door out of that and match the grain going down the side."
Other parts aren't so easy to make. The suspension system, for example, presented a challenge at first, and the team almost opted to use metal.
"We talked about it and decided that a leaf spring was nothing more than a bigger, stiffer version of a longbow, so we researched bow making and came upon a wood called Osage orange," Harmon says. "It's the strongest wood found in North America, and it has properties that make it excellent for use in longbows."
Harmon is proud of the many innovations he and his team developed in designing the car. In addition to the novel suspension system, they developed a unique muffler and exhaust system to vent super-heated air out of the top of the car, and an innovative seating design to make room for the engine behind the driver, in the middle of the car. More info and photos during the build.
http://www.joeharmondesign.com (bottom -"building the splinter" - flicker, yes to view --photostream)
1967 GT 40