So, some of you may remember my Tailfeather Project, which was suppposed to be a stablemate for the Inhaler. Well, a lot has happened. One, the Inhaler no longer resides in my personal "stables". It is now a joint venture (I'm still majority owner) between myself and my partner Alex (Columbus Idea Foundry). Two, I kind of lost interest in my Honda, and couldn't see committing myself to a project halfheartedly. We are developing a line of kit cars and products, based loosely on the Inhaler, and the first prototype kit is my personal car - giving me a project to express myself with, now that the Inhaler is all grown up and has moved out.
The hybrid concept of the Tailfeather Project is going to live on in my kit. In fact, that very Honda powertrain is being transplanted into the back of the car, and electric drive is moving up to the front wheels. This is literally the reincarnation of that project, with a twist. Without further ado, here is Schism (the art anyway ):
As you can see it has more than a passing resemblance to the Inhaler, and the art is based on old Inhaler art. This isn't a dream, I am ordering parts and materials now, and we intend to have the car at least together in March, and fully functional by summer.
Instead of relying on electric for racing power, and ICE as a sort of range extender, this car will rely on ICE for race power, and electric will be the supplement. I haven't done any calculations yet to determine what kind of range it will have, but it will be possible to drive on pure electric. The ICE will eventually be turbo, and ethanol and/or gas burning - we're shooting for 800hp. I would like to have about 200hp of electric power up front, but that will depend of what type of motor I end up with; completely undecided on that right now. Everything will be there ready for the motor, when I find it. I am building the front suspension with Honda FWD wheel bearing hubs, and I have the diff, so it will just be a matter of coupling the motor to the diff. Right now I am planning on direct drive, and gearing it for speeds up to maybe 35mph. I'm keeping the speed range of the electric drive low now to have brisk acceleration, without a large motor. That will allow me to launch with AWD, when racing, and continue to accelerate with turbo ICE power. It also helps with lag issues, and allows me to run a bigger turbo.
The hybrid concept of the Tailfeather Project is going to live on in my kit. In fact, that very Honda powertrain is being transplanted into the back of the car, and electric drive is moving up to the front wheels. This is literally the reincarnation of that project, with a twist. Without further ado, here is Schism (the art anyway ):
As you can see it has more than a passing resemblance to the Inhaler, and the art is based on old Inhaler art. This isn't a dream, I am ordering parts and materials now, and we intend to have the car at least together in March, and fully functional by summer.
Instead of relying on electric for racing power, and ICE as a sort of range extender, this car will rely on ICE for race power, and electric will be the supplement. I haven't done any calculations yet to determine what kind of range it will have, but it will be possible to drive on pure electric. The ICE will eventually be turbo, and ethanol and/or gas burning - we're shooting for 800hp. I would like to have about 200hp of electric power up front, but that will depend of what type of motor I end up with; completely undecided on that right now. Everything will be there ready for the motor, when I find it. I am building the front suspension with Honda FWD wheel bearing hubs, and I have the diff, so it will just be a matter of coupling the motor to the diff. Right now I am planning on direct drive, and gearing it for speeds up to maybe 35mph. I'm keeping the speed range of the electric drive low now to have brisk acceleration, without a large motor. That will allow me to launch with AWD, when racing, and continue to accelerate with turbo ICE power. It also helps with lag issues, and allows me to run a bigger turbo.