2009 Other Make Splinter

NEWS & REVIEWS The Splinter car project is an automobile, under the vision of Joe Harmon and a group of North Carolina State University grad students, almost completely made of wood . The chassis, skin, parts of the suspension and even parts of the wheels are made of wood. The project is a one-off supercar and is not planned for any sort of mass production. The students are not looking to pave the way for future automotive design but rather simply exercise their minds for a feat that is sure to make a big splash. The car has a mid-engine, rear wheel drive layout like most true supercars on the market today. The 4.6L Northstar V-8 engine is ripped right out a Cadillac with the addition of two superchargers for a projected output of 600 horsepower. With a low weight of 2500lbs, the splinter should be good for some fantastic straight-line performance numbers. Brakes will be huge 14 inch and 12 inch rotors on the front and back. The car comes with laminated wood arms and springs made from Osage Orange Wood. Some of the benefits of a wooden car are that wood has a higher strength-to-weight ratio over aluminum and steel while being constructed and formed in way those metals cannot. One of the negatives is that wood burns and burns fast; the designers had to take into account the extreme heat a car produces. Part of the dissipation of heat is by sending the hot exhaust gases out through the metal rear wing, which is sure to make the rear wing hot enough to grill on. The car looks like a cross between a Bugatti Veyron and a Lamborghini. The car comes with lambo style doors and two large rear flaps that open up a cross section of the rear of the car. These flaps, when opened, look like wings. There are also two flaps that open above the interior compartment. Inside you will find a roll cage to protect its occupants and strengthen the whole chassis. Adding more weirdness to the car, occupant’s legs are between the upper and lower A-Arms of the suspension. by: Benjamin Greene PHOTOS: click photos to enlarge