Tag Archives: racer

This Audi Quattro racer with its grungy dystopian aesthetics is what the Mad Max sequel needs!

Posted on by

Automotive lovers who are acquainted with Audi surely know about Quattro. The all-wheel-drive road vehicle burst into the scene in 1980, and ten million Quattro (derived from the word four-wheel-drive system) drive cars have hit the road. Based on this adventurous progression, Audi has built the electrified version of the powertrain for future mobility. This Quattro H 1993 concept designed by 3D specialist Federico Ciuffolini superimposes the vision of a dystopian future where Mad Max-like vehicles will fight for domination of resources on the planet. I can’t help but see the racing DNA of the R18 E-Tron Quattro being the inspiration for the design here.

The Quattro H 1993 concept car defines the evolution of racing culture in a world where the dynamics of lifestyle are completely radical from current times. Federico creates the blueprint with fiberglass, Kevlar, and carbon fiber construct for the ideal weight to power ratio. A powerful drivetrain and engine demand good airflow, so the use of naca and ram ducts is truly justified, hence eliminating the need to run the aero. The Quattro’s cell is made out of isolated monocoque for structural integrity and connects to the main chassis with a heavy-duty gasket.

Ballast is used to lower the cockpit barycenter to align the pilot (giving dampened solicitations) when lateral g-forces take effect at high-speed cornering. The result is a car with a very stiff and low-slung positioning on the road for maximum grip. A true racer at heart, the Quattro H 1993 amalgams the past and present racing DNA into a car of the future set in an uncertain world.

Designer: Federico Ciuffolini

Built for Formula1 as well as Le Mans circuits, the LMF1 concept is all about speed and endurance

Posted on by

What would it take to build the ultimate racecar? A racecar that can handle the breakneck speeds of an F1 race, but also withstand the grueling demands of the 24-hour Le Mans circuit? I don’t imagine there’s a single car that has fared well on both an F1 track as well as a Le Mans (hit me up if there is one), but that didn’t stop designer Robin Mazánek from creating the LMF1, a conceptual beauty made to dominate any sort of racetrack.

The LMF1 (a portmanteau of LM and F1) just like its name, is a fusion of styles and technology. Inspired by Formula 1 and endurance prototypes, the LMF1 sports a lightweight, aerodynamic, low-hung design with a closed-cockpit. Modeled after most Le Mans prototypes, the car measures at nearly 433 centimeters long, making it shorter than the conventional F1 car, but just as capable. Carbon-fiber paneling makes the car lightweight and sturdy, and helps use air to its advantage, creating just the right amount of downforce needed to give the car speed and control on the track. The air even helps cool the car’s insides, which features a hybrid turbo-engine for maximized range. A 1.6L turbo-engine helps generate electricity, which gets stored in the car’s batteries, supplying the electromotor with an extra surge of power. The car comes with a rear-wheel drive, and according to Mazánek’s calculations, tops off at 1000hp.

The LMF1 currently exists just as a fan-made concept that fulfills the childhood fantasy of many a gearhead. I don’t imagine any company’s ever taken up the challenge to build the ultimate undisputed race-demon that can stand up to F1 and Le Mans racers, but let’s hope someone eventually does!

Designer: Robin Mazánek

At 205 mph top speed, this salt-lake racer aims at being the world’s fastest e-bike

Posted on by

If the Voxan Wattman physically reminds you of the shape of a bullet, it’s completely intentional. Meet the Wattman, an e-bike vying for the position of the world’s fastest electric two-wheeler. The Wattman was initially unveiled in 2013 by boutique motorcycle maker Voxan as a two-wheeler with 203hp of power, 150ft-lbs of torque, and a 0-60mph acceleration time below 3.4 seconds. After 7 years of refinement, Voxan revealed the Wattman was ready to take on the two-wheeler land-speed record (previously set by Ryuji Tsuruta on his Mobitec EV-02A racer).

The new, specially built Wattman comes fitted with a 367hp engine, powered by 1,470-cell batteries and cooled using dry-ice held in a special reservoir in the bike to draw heat away from the battery and motor. Its redesigned streamliner body even went through multiple simulations and wind-tunnel tests, and Venturi Group (the company behind Voxan) says the bike is ready to take on the land speed record of 204.48mph. The record-breaking run was set for July this year, but was disrupted by the pandemic. Legendary racer and former Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion Max Biaggi will take the Wattman for a spin in the year 2021 on the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia to hopefully set the new record for the world’s fastest e-bike.

Designer: Voxan (Venturi Group)

With a 186 mile range (and a hub-less rear wheel), NAWA’s e-bike shows what innovation looks like

Posted on by

The NAWA e-bike’s a pretty interesting concept to talk about. Here’s what you need to know. This prototype exists as a one-off build. It’s created by a company that doesn’t make automobiles and doesn’t plan on selling this one-time prototype. Why would a company make a bike that it doesn’t intend on mass-producing or selling? Why, as a proof of concept. NAWA wants to bring attention to a crucial detail within the bike… its ultracapacitor, which can convert as much as 80-90% of the bike’s braking energy into electrical energy for the bike’s battery.

The NAWA e-bike comes with a 0.1kWh ultra-capacitor which sits right above its 9kWh battery. What’s impressive is that the NAWA e-bike’s regenerative braking power, which captures enough energy every time you brake, to give the bike a 300km (186 miles) range on a single battery charge. The tech is well suited for driving in cities, given its stop-and-go nature. “It only stores a small amount of energy, but it’s being used very efficiently,” Nawa CEO Ulrik Grape told New Atlas. Every time you brake at a red light, stop at a stop sign, or slow down at a zebra crossing, that braking and accelerating action is translated into bursts of energy that get routed to the bike’s battery, practically doubling its range so you can drive more and charge less.

The bike’s pretty impressive despite its ultracapacitor too. The bronze-and-silver paint-job, the cantilever driver’s seat, and the hubless rear-wheel certainly do wonders for the bike’s aesthetic, while the fact that it can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in “comfortably under three seconds” makes it a formidable machine. Nawa plans to showcase the bike at CES2020 and ramp up its ultracapacitor production next year too, with hopes to have that technology be applicable in more bikes and cars later in the future.

Designer: NAWA