rfields

wow that's awesome. I wonder what they are using for an AWD setup?

Sadev probably, like every other rally car on the planet.

 

Unless this is a completely new build, this is probably a modified version of his GRC car from several years ago.

It's a brand new build. I believe it's something other than Sadev but you would have to ask them.

Built by our friends/neighbors at PMR Motorsport. Very, very cool build by some awesome guys.

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/an-ls-v8-in-a-chevrolet-sonic-is-brilliant-rally-madness/

At least as far as Champ (Chump) is concerned, carbon fiber is not permitted.

Plywood, aluminum are charged by the square foot, but F aero (spoiler/splitter) and rear aero (wing) are a flat point value (10? or 15? points ea.)

Yeah, he's just making fun of me for running a car in a series where my own products aren't allowed. Maybe I'll stick a GOODAero setup and a snail-shell on the car for some time-attack action just to see what it'll do :lolguy:

Sounds cool man, let me know if you find anything interesting with yours.

 

The body on ours is about a 5/10 with multiple rust holes, so I am going to have to learn welding by the time this is all said and done.

I mean, if you guys run into too many issues and feel like doing a trans swap, you can just take mine for a race or two. Cheap race cars are meant to be shared.:burn:

Is a good aero carbon swan neck and splitter allowed?

Not precisely, but the rule book for chump is an aerodynamicist's dream playground in many ways. Materials controlled by square area necessitates unique problem solving strategies. "How can I get the most downforce and least drag from the least area of lowest cost material?"

Long term, this car is likely to either stay in chump or stay in my stewardship, but likely not both for very long.

I recently acquired a tech'd, logbooked chaumpcar MR2 with a blown trans. Assuming I can get to it this winter, we're expecting an early spring shakedown. Happy to compare notes as we go.

After thorough initial static development, it was time this past weekend for us to take our first Cardinal out for a thorough shakedown at the Chin Track Days event at Barber Motorsport Park. With a brilliant IMSA veteran driver behind the wheel, the immediate feedback was positive: the chassis was solid, responsive, and felt every bit like the professionally built speed-machine it is. Our design choices for the suspension and engine were immediately rewarded with sustained cornering forces reaching 1.8 G and forward acceleration reaching 0.8 G with street-legal extreme performance tires. We ran without any bodywork, save for a set of provisional rear fenders, a radiator shroud, and a very rough fiberglass splash of the hood/front fender areas. Cooling was no issue, but braking and oiling system upgrades will be necessary to keep up with the rest of the Cardinal's performance.

The Cardinal will make its first public appearance at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course on September 24th, 2018, at another Chin Track Days event. We’re planning to host guests (all of you are invited) at the track during the day, along with live streaming from inside the car. Even those who cannot physically attend can ride along with us virtually by signing up at fieldsautoworks.com AND, by signing up to attend or receive the live stream link, you will be entered to win a ride along with a professional driver in a finished Cardinal. Please visit fieldsautoworks.com and register for more information about the event.

P.S. – We’re actively seeking investors and pre-production orders at this time. If any of you have ever wanted to make sportscar history, now is your chance!

Rubber Chicken Racing?! I think (IIRC), I rented an old VW from them for my SCCA license at Nelson about 10 years ago after referred to him by a friend of mine. I could be wrong on the team name though...it has been over 10 years...

 

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Must be a different group - the Rubber Chicken Racing group referenced here was based in NorCal in the 60s and 70s racing mostly Alfas. The old joke was that they went to all these SCCA banquet dinners, and all they ever won was the cheap catered chicken dinners that were tougher than rubber. It didn't take long after that remark to see their Alfas with little rubber chickens flopping out of the trunk!

The group included some folks who went on the be quite well known in the community, including Keith Martin of Sports Car Market Magazine fame.

Is that the Alfa known as "Sophia"? or was that Al Leake's #69 car?

Yes to both!

Just a follow up note on that Alfa, here it is as sold at Bonhams back in 2012 to its current owner.

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20322/lot/479/

Hot damn that's a cool looking car!

 

 

Also, the Giulietta in your sig is ultrabadass. Any more info on that car?

That's my dad at the entrance to the cork screw at Laguna Seca. He built that car from a stripped tub and ran it in SCCA as part of the world famous Rubber Chicken Racing Team (faster than a speeding pullet!). It's still running to this day, albeit in vintage events now with its 7th owner I believe. It's a fairly radical departure from the original structure of the car, and the car has been extremely successful since it started running.

Are there any pictures of the thing out there? I see nothing on the social media ect.

Currently all our publicly shared images are renderings. That's going to change in the coming weeks, especially since we're planning to use the Mid-Ohio event as a sort of public reveal. The car is extremely true to the renderings, but anyone interested enough that they can't wait until the public reveal is welcome to schedule an in-person visit to see and experience the car.

We've been making a ton of progress since the open house, and I'm happy to report the first Cardinal is driving and testing. We're still in the beginning phases of getting the car dialed in, but one figure of note at this time is the car has already demonstrated the capability to accelerate at 0.75 G sustained, calculated by GPS (not instantaneous), on street tires, on industrial parking lot pavement. Also did .68 G on all seasons! Safe to say it will get your attention behind the wheel. But perhaps more impressively, it drives like an absolutely docile street car when you're just putting around the parking lot!

More progress to come, and will be announcing an opportunity to see it in action at Mid-Ohio sometime towards the back half of September. If you haven't already, please take a look at our social media pages and website. Will soon be offering ride-alongs and test drives for interested parties, so please get in touch if you'd like to participate in that.

In the process of doing some fitment and plumbing checks, we inadvertently set a couple nice metrics that show the simplicity and ease-of-service of the design.

2 people, using only hand tools and a basic hoist, disconnected all connections and removed the front of the drivetrain (transmission output shaft to front of engine) in 45 minutes.

We later had the engine, flywheel, clutch assembly, throw-out bearing, and transmission all laid out in a row next to the car. Again 2 people, using only hand tools and a basic hoist, had the entire drivetrain package bolted together, mounted in the chassis, and ready for fluid and electrical fittings to be reconnected in 2 hours. Repeating that process with power tools would be expected to take closer to 1 hour.

We'll need a little more practice and people to take on Audi's Le Mans effort of changing a transmission in 6 minutes, but we still felt this was a good testament to our design's simplicity.

If someone 6'6" could fit in this, that'd be one hell of a car. Very glad you posted this, and look forward to following the thread and maybe seeing them in person this year.

Did some ergonomics and fit testing this past weekend. For the stock reclining seat with sliders, at 6'3" I'm right at the upper limit and wearing a helmet would be uncomfortably tight. However, just taking the lower pad out of the stock seat brought me down 3" and 1" further back. With a different seat (fixed back, no sliders, thinner padding), I was 4.5" lower and 3" further back than with the full stock seat.

Part of our intended purchase process is to literally fit each car to the buyer with adjustments in pedals, steering wheel spacing, and seating position. 6'6" plus a helmet plus maintaining comfort is certainly a bit challenging, but given the customizable nature of our product I am certain we could accommodate you.

Any chance we can setup a CR tour to see some of the build phase? I'm sure people would be fine with no phones / cameras.

Would like to know too.

 

There is something old world about the front end but in a good way.

+1

 

That would be a great time, I'm sure.

This is something we would be very enthusiastic about putting together, but groups bigger than 3 or 4 will probably be a mid-summer and later time frame. Stay tuned, and we'll make a bigger CR-open event happen. If just a couple people want to stop by in the more immediate term, shoot me a pm and we'll set something up.

You can really see the DP215 influence in the nose, as well as some Facel Vega, Morgan Aero 8, and ferrari Barchetta. You can really see the Alfa TZ2 in the rear styling, along with some ferrari 275 GTB4 and shelby Daytona coupe. I'd love to see some side and 3/4 profile images to see how this all pulls together but so far you are in good company.

Good company indeed! Front quarter is almost ready for the website so here's a preview:

Hi Rob!

Is that Bobby Ligero? Mr. Diamante himself?

This is really cool. How have I not heard of this??

We're still (mostly) in stealth mode. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

That car without a v8 will undoubtedly feel like something is missing. I'd spend the money on getting one with a v8. Cool car, but options up quickly.

 

You'd be buying one for the uniqueness not its actual all out performance, although it could be immense with the proper options.

We're going for more Alfa Romeo TZ2 / Aston DP215 than cobra. However, we certainly recognize that for some, a v8 makes immediate sense in this platform, so we designed it to accept a range of engines on the same, high-horsepower rated drivetrain. All out performance will be pretty damn impressive for the price, even with the base car.

Interesting. Would aluminum frame save more weight with the same stiffness? Is it more expensive? Is viewing of these vehicles possible in the current developmental stage?

 

I like the idea of a car with a weight range in the sub 1 (metric) tonne powered with a naturally-aspirated V8 such as an LS7 or the Ford 5.0l Coyote. Is there enough space to put in a V10? I like the choice for the suspension configuration.

 

Keep it up, I can't wait to see it.

A lot, and I mean a lot of work has gone into the frame and we're refining all the time. However, at this point, it probably holds the least opportunity for further weight savings. More than happy to have detailed tech discussions about the choices we're making offline.

Seriously seriously interested parties are welcome to meet and possibly see the cars at any time. Bring your V10 and checkbook, and we'll make it fit! (It may fit already if it says "Judd" on it - see comment regarding checkbook)

Will it be street-legal? Apologies for forgetting how this can be titled/licensed.

 

Awesome news, and surprised I hadn't heard of this before.

Path to the street is same as other low-volume cars a la Noble/Rossion. Definitely not the most wonderful process, but also not foreign territory.

Saved for later.

 

What engine is in it?

2.3L Ecoboost in the base car, other options available. With just a Ford-supplied chip tune / intake configuration, you can be sitting at 385 hp/410 ft lbs in a car weighing between 1800 and 2200 lbs depending on other options.

I was almost more interested in this related article after reading about the new design.....

http://jalopnik.com/you-wont-believe-how-far-people-will-go-to-save-early-1477256997

Apparently we should all go searching the woods more often

Any video?

I'll try to get ahold of some from when we had Señor Espenlaub in the left seat.

And that's your excuse for not being at Cars & Coffee?

 

Your job really sucks, Rob.

It wasn't much fun at Roebling last weekend... (update on that one to come)

http://i1257.photobucket.com/albums/ii513/fieldsrb/Photo%20Jan%2022%2011%2057%2056%20AM_zpstgjviydo.jpg