Random Research DP1

[Sauc3]

2007 Random Research dp1 #1

What is the dp1? First and foremost, it's an ultimate form of self-expression. But not just artwork - it is art that works. A living, carbon-and-alloy manifestation of what I think a true performance car should be. The driver. The motor. The car. Just enough to give the driver full mastery of the motor's power... The best art is engaging. The dp1 goes far beyond just that. It's about controlling more energy than one was born with. It's an extreme. A pure concept extrapolated to its logically insane conclusion. It is definitely not for everyone. But for the few who understand it and have the skill to control it, this just might be the ultimate performance machine.


To put the dp1 in perspective, consider that it has the horsepower of a Ferrari F360 but weighs 2,200 lbs less! That's right, this is not a typo - the dp1 is a full metric ton lighter than the Ferrari. And it's All-Wheel-Drive. Let that sink in for a while. Then read on.
http://www.dpcars.net/dp1/index.htm

Wheelbase: 80.5"

Length: 113"

Width: 71"

Height: 39" (top of rollbar)

Ground Clearance: 2.5"

Drivetrain: proprietary AWD system with chain drive and Quaife limited slip differentials

Chassis: carbon monocoque, quick-change bodywork

Wheels: 13x8 Tires: 225/45-13 Hoosier R6 or 20x8-13 race slicks

Engine: Custom 2800cc V8, 375hp @10,000 RPM, 220 lb-ft @6500 RPM

Gearbox: 5-speed sequential with reverse

Weight: 850lb

Power/weight: 970 hp/metric ton (2.25 lb/hp)

[Sauc3]

dp1 #2

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dp1 #3

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dp1 #4

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dp1 #5

[Sauc3]

dp1 #6

The last 2 shots are a computer render made by an artist based on the dp1, as an alternative body style.

[Ferrer]

Contrary to most "built in a shed" type of sportscars I don't think this looks that bad. I still don't understand why you'd want four wheel drive in this, though.

Originally Posted by Sauc3

The last 2 shots are a computer render made by an artist based on the dp1, as an alternative body style.

Thank god they didn't chose that...

[mikelzapi3]

I still don't understand why you'd want four wheel drive in this

It seem that with 4WD, the car isn't so much "traction limited" when accelerating, think that this car weights nothing and if you want use all that power you need some wide rubbers if you go RWD.

Anyway, the claims that this guy has made are a litle bit optimistic, he said that this could accelerate as fast as a F1 car.

There has been a lot of discussion of the dp1 on the LiveForSpeed forum. It seems there is a lot of support in the LFS community for the inclusion of the car in a future version of the sim, so hopefully this can happen at some point. Would be a lot of fun. In the meantime, one of the forum contributors ran an acceleration simulation. The results correlate well with my own calculations, with 0-60 time of about 2.0 sec and 0-100 time of about 4.2 sec (click pic for larger version).



The simulation assumes the power spec for the 2.6L version of the v8 (2.8L that I'm using should be closer to 400hp but I don't want to officially claim this until I do some dyno testing on Bikini). This performance is on par with a modern F1 car and it can be yours for only $125K - that's less than the cost of a used Ferrari .

UPDATE: Speaking of a Formula 1 car, in the sim it looks like this (click for full size):



The comparison is interesting and illustrates the various performance aspects that I talk about on the dp1 site SPEED section - namely power/weight, power/traction and power/drag. You'll see that the F1 is traction limited to about 83mph and so can't use its full power until then. Hence its 0-60 time of 2.34 sec vs 1.96 sec for the dp1. But once the tires hook up, it's gone - the power/weight ratio of just under 2 lb/hp and a better power/drag ratio put it 0.25 sec faster to 100 mph and power the car to over 200 mph vs my top speed of 178 mph. Now granted this is a simulation and cannot be taken as absolute but doing a quick reality check against my own calcs and available data out there it seems quite accurate. A lot of details are taken into account in the sim (from wheel rotational inertia to suspension setup) and it should be a very useful tool for playing with various settings once it's available. The program is still in development as of this writing.

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by mikelzapi3

It seem that with 4WD, the car isn't so much "traction limited" when accelerating, think that this car weights nothing and if you want use all that power you need some wide rubbers if you go RWD.

But still 375bhp isn't that much, not to need 4 wheel drive anyway. Plus with rear wheel drive weight would be reduced further and drivetrain minimised too.

[Sauc3]

Originally Posted by Ferrer

But still 375bhp isn't that much, not to need 4 wheel drive anyway. Plus with rear wheel drive weight would be reduced further and drivetrain minimised too.

To 385kg (I assume dry weight) it is...

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by Sauc3

To 385kg (I assume dry weight) it is...

Hadn't considered this...

[drakkie]

Given enough time and money, I should be able to design most parts of that myself after I finished my studies ! These 3D drawings look so familiar

[Turbo.Jenkens]

Originally Posted by Sauc3

(2.25 lb/hp)

That is mind boggling

[Sauc3]

Just a quick note, the car shown in the pictures is the prototype, the performance figures are as yet unproved, as they will be on the production car, of which there hasn't been any completed yet.

[Pando]

Originally Posted by mikelzapi3

Anyway, the claims that this guy has made are a litle bit optimistic, he said that this could accelerate as fast as a F1 car.

The graph picture annoys me as it says BMW Sauber and has a picture of a Renault in it.