The Design
It is quite difficult to describe what I have in mind with this car, especially to anyone that hasn't experienced bike-engined cars. My Fisher Fury R1 is raw by most people's definition but, this will take it to another level and yet add some 'practicality' and quality at the same time. It might even have a reverse gear!
The original Lotus Elise was a light-weight, mid-engined car with superb handling and involvement. I know, because I bought one. It had a target design weight of 600Kg and a roof that was described as a temporary measure to get you home. The Elise is basic inside but, is still relatively practical and usable on and every day basis. The Lotus Elise S1 that was launched in 1996 actually weighed over 720Kg and this was largely due to the addition of doors and some compromises to keep the costs down. If you take a S1 Lotus Elise and remove the doors, windscreen, all the other glass, boot, roof, radio and heater, then you have a pretty good idea of the sort of car I have in mind. If you think that results in a Lotus 2-eleven, then you are at least 100% over weight.
Instead of a aluminium chassis tub, I'm planning to use composites, with the resulting tub exposed on both the inside and outside. There may be coloured, exterior protective panels along the deep sills but, these will be very minimal. There will be no doors and you will have to step into the car.
| The tub will have integral roll hoops and mounting points for both an aeroscreen or a full windscreen with surround. It will also have internal fixing points for a full roll-cage, that is designed to nestle within the removeable roof. |
The windscreen and roll hoop mouldings enable a gull-wing roof and door combination to slide and be clipped in place. You may well wonder why go to such effort on an ultra-light track-day machine but, the simple fact is that sometimes I am happy to compromise performance slightly, if it means that I can drive the car in a wider range of weather conditions and over longer distances. In the summer months, the car will only have the aeroscreen fitted.
Like the Lotus Elise, I'm also planning front and rear subframes but, with a single piece of bodywork over the front and another one over the rear.
Instead of a Rover K-series or Toyota engine, I'm planning to use a motorbike engine.
| Styling will be modern but, with a combination of beautiful slowing curves and hard lines. I need to move on from the retro 60's look of the Fisher Fury R1. The closest car I've seen to what I have in mind is the modern re-incarnation of the Lancia Stratos. |
400kg is a very difficult target to meet and there are a few things that will make this target weight realistic and achievable, whilst also providing a degree of practicality that is currently missing from my Fisher Fury R1:
- A single central 'tub' that has dual purpose and is both the chassis and bodywork for the main 'middle' section of the car.
- The 400Kg target does not include the roof panels, gull-wing doors and roll cage, which will be detachable.
- The 400kg target does not include the windscreen and rear window which will be detachable but, it does include the optional aeroscreen.
The design is covered in more detail in the following sections:
Performance
To be honest, my Fisher Fury R1 is about as fast a car as you need on UK roads. The opportunity to use its full potential does not occur very often but, since I'm going to the effort of designing a replacement, it kind of makes sense to add a bit more power. I'm not the kind of person that gets too hung up on numbers but, 400Kg and 250bhp works out at about 625bhp/ton. The transmission design results in a top speed of 150mph in 6th gear at maximum engine revs and it will get there quite quickly. 0-60mph should be achieved in about 3.5s and 0-100mph in about 7.5s.
Why?
Does this car make sense? Does it have mass appeal? Will it sell? These are questions that I don't really care about. This car is being designed by me, for me. Whilst I'll do everything I can to make it easy to build and produce in small numbers, I have no intention of making it a commercial enterprise. I quite like owning and driving a car that is totally unique.
Some of the ideas, designs and components outlined on this website will also be tested out on my Fisher Fury R1.