GTPNewsWire
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This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:
This article was published by Adam Ismail (@glassjaw) on September 13th, 2018 in the Automotive News category.
Gordon Murray's Next Sports Car Could Be a Lightweight Miata Beater
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- Gt_Vendrah
These are good, or maybe great news for people who like cars. Instead of a new 2,000 HP engine for hypercars that only the ultra rich are going to buy, finally some stuff for the cars that car people are actually going to drive, frequently or eventually depending on where they live and how well financially they are.
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That's great and all, but how much is it gonna cost?
If there's any engineer to put trust in, it's probably Murray. Hope this project doesn't disappoint. As an aside, it won't 'dethrone' the Miata/MX-5 because: A, It isn't a Miata and B, It isn't a roadster.
If there's any engineer to put trust in, it's probably Murray. Hope this project doesn't disappoint. As an aside, it won't 'dethrone' the Miata/MX-5 because: A, It isn't a Miata and B, It isn't a roadster.
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One of the key points of iStream is that it's cheaper than a traditional stamped steel body-in-white.
Incidentally, iStream means "Stabilised Tube Reinforced Exo-frame Advanced Manufacturing". Whew.
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It has not. So far iStream's most prominent uses have been for a flat-pack truck designed for the developing world, which I believe isn't yet in production, the Yamaha Motive.e city car revealed at the Tokyo show a few years back, which isn't in production, and the new TVR, which also isn't yet in production. As a means of not producing vehicles iStream is untouchable.
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I have something of a hankering after a car like an MX5 or a Honda S660 (with a bit more poke), so this would be right up my alley if it would be as affordable.
We are indeed yet to see any real products emerge from the iStream process, and one of its key advantages is supposed to be a low startup cost and low "factory" footprint. In my head, that would translate to a short time to production as well, but I admit that could be fallacious, especially if the whole manufacturing setup is still being fine tuned to suit actual products rather than only prototypes or digital concepts.
As for the weight comparison to an MX5, some of the weight savings of losing a cylinder in the engine are immediately put back on by the addition of a turbocharger and ancillaries, plus the bulkiness required to bear the extra specific torque of a boosted engine. I think the fact that the MX5 was designed as a convertible means some of the weight penalty "traditionally" attributed to soft tops doesn't really materialise, because you're not adapting an otherwise unsuitable design.
We are indeed yet to see any real products emerge from the iStream process, and one of its key advantages is supposed to be a low startup cost and low "factory" footprint. In my head, that would translate to a short time to production as well, but I admit that could be fallacious, especially if the whole manufacturing setup is still being fine tuned to suit actual products rather than only prototypes or digital concepts.
As for the weight comparison to an MX5, some of the weight savings of losing a cylinder in the engine are immediately put back on by the addition of a turbocharger and ancillaries, plus the bulkiness required to bear the extra specific torque of a boosted engine. I think the fact that the MX5 was designed as a convertible means some of the weight penalty "traditionally" attributed to soft tops doesn't really materialise, because you're not adapting an otherwise unsuitable design.
ROAD_DOGG33J
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We can cross this one off the list.
www.roadandtrack.com
Gordon Murray Says His Affordable Sports Car Will Never Happen
There was a window of time when his mass-market mid-engine coupe was possible, but now, all big manufacturers are going electric.
