What my ultimate supercar would be like

[dcsbeemer]

Briefly:

1. The driver would be seated in the centre, head positioned exactly in the middle of the wheelbase and body positioned exactly along the centreline of the car (a la McLaren F1). There could be two seats aft of the driver as well.

2. The car would be mid-engined of course, with a longitudanal 7 spd DSG gearbox taking drive directly to the rear wheels. The engine and gearbox would be, racecar-style, part of the supporting structure.

3. Speaking of the engine, I'd like a 6.0 V12 with roundabout 670bhp, without any forced induction please. This way it would have a specific output of more than 110 bhp/ litre, which is pretty snazzy I'd say. Being a BMW fan, I'd like it to have an M5 V10 with 2 extra cylinders grafted on somehow and just ever-so-slightly tuned to kick out a bit more.

4. The entire car's structure will be constructed of Carbon-Kevlar, Carbon-Reinforced-Plastic, Titanium and Magnesium. It would naturally also have a honey-comb-mesh tub as well. Brakes would be Carbon-ceramic units with optional ABS assistance.

5. The car would have adaptive aerodynamics (only the bare minimum), giving you more when cornering and less when straight-lining. A huge diffuser would ensure stability at high speeds.

6. Weight must be kept down, with a target of less than 1050 Kg. This would give you about 0,5KW/ Kg, which would put a smile on anyone's face I think.

7. The looks of the car has to be form following function. No unneeded bits of bodywork here.

8. Concerning extras, achieving the targeted weight would eliminate fancies like air-con, ICE etc., but I'd like some air-con in their nevertheless. No need for expensive audio equipment, the engine would provide all the music I need!

9. Lastly, all my dreamcar would need is an extremely twisty and deserted road...

[dcsbeemer]

Wow, sorry, thought I was posting this in the Supercar-related forum...

[6'bore]

More or less same thing, it is technical anyway.

[targa]

The engine and gearbox would be, racecar-style, part of the supporting structure.

dont burn up the clutch...well, im sure with the DSG gearbox it wouldnt be a problem, but if it were standard....woo

[johnnyperl]

yes....if only there was a lightweight carbon-chassis car with a V12 and central seating

[dcsbeemer]

Yeah, I know my description sounds an awful lot like a Mac F1, but that car is consigned to history...

Besides, the cornering Gs of the Mac wasn't that much impressive, imagine how incredible that car would've been being capable of atleast 1.1 Gs through the twisties!

Also, even with a shortcoming here and there, the Mac is widely regarded as (still) being the best supercar ever built. Why deviate from a winning recipe? Use it, improve where you can, leave the rest as is.

And why not a V12? It's smooth, is a classic supercar engine, and it sounds incredible! We could probably go for a forced-induction V8, but that's not special enough... Of all the great supercars that have forced-induction (except maybe the latest gen ones), I've almost always read that the designers would've opted for a larger capacity naturally-aspirated V12. This must be for a reason don't you think? And why no larger than 6.0? Simply because I believe anything larger would result in too much of a weight-penalty, inhibating dynamic ability. Witness the continuesly postponed release of the Veyron for proof of that...

Unless you think that 670bhp isn't enough. For me, that's plenty, and I fail to see the use of anything more powerful. Beyond a certain amount of power (not saying it's precisely 670bhp), you'll need all these woosy electronic driving aids. In most cases, this isn't only needed to compensate for the driver's inability to control the power, but also from keeping the car's drivetrain from tearing itself into little metallic pieces.

So yes, maybe I've just described what a modern Mac F1 would be like. Shoot me for basing my dreamcar on one of the greatest ever.

If anyone thinks they can do so much better, why don't you enlighten me with your thoughts?

Friendly challenge

[Rockefella]

I don't need much for my dream car, basically it would consist of a 1992 Honda Civic EX, some primer, fiberglass bodykits, white and red paint for the type R look, and a few stickers.

[2ndclasscitizen]

I don't need much for my dream car, basically it would consist of a 1992 Honda Civic EX, some primer, fiberglass bodykits, white and red paint for the type R look, and a few stickers.

*cough*rice*cough*

you should look at the australian Joss supercar

http://www.joss.com.au/joss.html

Aerodynamic body, 950kgs, bout 500hp outta a big arse V8

[dcsbeemer]

Oh yeah, that Joss is impressive! Not crazy about the engine though, but very nice!

[2ndclasscitizen]

it may not be advanced but it punches hard and sounds great, its the aussie coming through

[P4g4nite]

Why a big arsed V12?
Those things are damn heavy, and it would have to be mounted right behind the driver, and other things like the fuel tank would need to be placed say...under the bonnet for optimal weight distribution.
A big part of the handling you desire is getting the car balanced, a huge lump of metal in an otherwise extremely lightweight chassis is the antithesis of balance.

You can emulate the power and even torque curve of your V12 in a much smaller and lighter FI engine.

Why is a V12 special anyhow?? almost all supercars run them these days, do something different.

[Matra et Alpine]

under the bonnet for optimal weight distribution.

Which then makes pushing the car more difficult as the front corner weights change as the fuel level drops

Matra had the "right" idea (!).
They put the fuel tank over the mid-engine so the impact on corner weigth was almost equal. 'course it meant you NEVER wanted to think about a crash or an engine fire

[P4g4nite]

I was being slightly sarcastic about the under bonnet thing although..
Some race cars have twin fuel cells, front and rear, so the weight balance stays the same as they empty.

The point is that if you have a huge engine you need to make some big allowances to get the weight sorted out right.

[Matra et Alpine]

IThe point is that if you have a huge engine you need to make some big allowances to get the weight sorted out right.

Not so much if it's mid.

[Egg Nog]

The car you describe is pretty much just a McLaren F1 LM.