A Supercar Faster than a Porsche or Lamborghini but Made of Wood
03-11-2008 | 05:19 PM
#1
A Supercar Faster than a Porsche or Lamborghini but Made of Wood
This car is expected to have 600 HP, weigh just under 1150 kg, come with a Cadillac Northstar sourced V-8 4.6 liter engine, have a top speed of 240 MPH, and oh yeah, be made of wood. This wooden supercar, known as the Splinter, will be able to go from 0-60 is just over 3 seconds and is eco-friendly.
Th pictures shown are mock-ups. For actual photos of the car being built, check out this Flickr Slideshow.
UPDATE: Please note that the car is still being built and is expected to have the stats featured above.
It gets about 20 MPG, and comes fitted with some very unique wooden rims. The car has a roll cage to protect the driver, though it can only seat two people.
The car is being designed by a team led by 27 year old graduate student Joe Harmon at NC State. The car is just a project, but has been getting a lot of mainstream attention. The team has been blogging about the development of the wooden supercar at Harmon’s Blogspot Blog.
Looking into the future, Harmon has said that it may not be long before a F1 driver gets behind the wheel of a wooden racecar. Here is a description of the project from the group’s website:
We are building a high-performance, mid-engined supercar from wood composites as a graduate project at North Carolina State University. Wood will be used whereever possible, including the chassis, body, and large percentages of the suspension components and wheels. The car has a target weight of 2500lbs and a power goal of over 600 horsepower. We aren’t trying to sell anything; we aren’t trying to save the world, and we aren’t advocating that everyone should drive a wooden car. This project is a scholastic endeavour in which are simply trying to explore materials, learn, teach, share ideas, and stimulate creativity. This section details who we are and what we are doing. We hope you enjoy checking out what we are working on.
Th pictures shown are mock-ups. For actual photos of the car being built, check out this Flickr Slideshow.
UPDATE: Please note that the car is still being built and is expected to have the stats featured above.
It gets about 20 MPG, and comes fitted with some very unique wooden rims. The car has a roll cage to protect the driver, though it can only seat two people.
The car is being designed by a team led by 27 year old graduate student Joe Harmon at NC State. The car is just a project, but has been getting a lot of mainstream attention. The team has been blogging about the development of the wooden supercar at Harmon’s Blogspot Blog.
Looking into the future, Harmon has said that it may not be long before a F1 driver gets behind the wheel of a wooden racecar. Here is a description of the project from the group’s website:
We are building a high-performance, mid-engined supercar from wood composites as a graduate project at North Carolina State University. Wood will be used whereever possible, including the chassis, body, and large percentages of the suspension components and wheels. The car has a target weight of 2500lbs and a power goal of over 600 horsepower. We aren’t trying to sell anything; we aren’t trying to save the world, and we aren’t advocating that everyone should drive a wooden car. This project is a scholastic endeavour in which are simply trying to explore materials, learn, teach, share ideas, and stimulate creativity. This section details who we are and what we are doing. We hope you enjoy checking out what we are working on.
03-12-2008 | 01:55 AM
#5
Junior GTcars Poster
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 262
From: Scarborough
Rep Power: 656 
hahahah, i never ever thought of that. let's see, heat from the motor and external parts, plus wood. hell, they better make this for the entertainment factor. lol
03-12-2008 | 02:44 PM
#7
~~ Hardcore Newb ~~
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 41
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It's a 240mph tree on the road... lol there's something fishy about the car's name.. Splinter.. and I'm not too sure about the aerodynamics of this car at 240mph.. I can almost imagine it breaking apart starting from the engine hood latch or whatever you call that..
03-12-2008 | 03:00 PM
#8
Skilled GTcars Poster
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 702
Rep Power: 730
lol ya those things would fly right off, this is a bogus idea the whole car will turn to recycled crap after seeing the rain a few times.. imagine having it after a coupe years the thing would start to grow moss in the wheel wells haha.. i wouldnt feel safe in that car, on a dry hot day your out rippin the woodie and all of a sudden an elecrical wire sparks against another WOOOOSHH!!! bye bye investment
03-12-2008 | 08:37 PM
#10
Junior GTcars Poster
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 305
From: Toronto
Rep Power: 692
neat idea though, you gotta hand that to them... certainly likely never to be copied again, whether it will be remember for being a total idiotic idea or not though...
and btw, the car is made from wood composites, not real wood, from my understanding of it means wood chips and wood bits and run-offs pressured together using glue, certainly not the greenest stuff of all that glue, but the source is green, and so is the fact that its not actual virgin wood
and btw, the car is made from wood composites, not real wood, from my understanding of it means wood chips and wood bits and run-offs pressured together using glue, certainly not the greenest stuff of all that glue, but the source is green, and so is the fact that its not actual virgin wood
03-13-2008 | 10:56 PM
#11
~~ Hardcore Newb ~~
Joined: Nov 2005
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04-06-2008 | 02:04 PM
#14
~~ Hardcore Newb ~~
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 122
From: Scarborough
Rep Power: 643
when i saw "wood" i didnt expect it to look so nice lol
but then the car would bend itself from rain u would have to nail it back and varnish or polish it every so often haha pretty cool tho
but then the car would bend itself from rain u would have to nail it back and varnish or polish it every so often haha pretty cool tho
