Hope we get some on-boards of these monsters

"StingrayJake" (stingrayjake) 06/25/2015 at 16:58 • Filed to: SVF1, track day, track cars

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I know this was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the other day (at about 4 a.m. my time), but the Scarbo Performance SVF1 just intrigues me too much to let it languish in Oppo purgatory.

This machine should give Gordon Murray a hard on. The SVF1 is what Murray’s !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a respectable track toy in its own right, dreams of growing up to be. Shoot, it’s what the Rocket could have been — lots of lightness and lots of power.

Taking some design cues from the first Ferrari 312, a contender but never a champion in the late 1960s, the team at Scarbo has built a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that would be right at home at Watkins Glenn and the 1966 U.S. Grand Prix — except for the against-the-regulations engine displacement and all the technological advances in chassis and engine building and such.

With its low-drag body, spindly suspension, and big racing slicks, looking at the SVF1 is a bit like stepping back in time. Powering it all, however, is a modern 6.2-liter V8 that sends 430 horses to the rear wheels through a 5-speed H-pattern transmission.

Sure, it weighs about 350 pounds more than the Lotus 49 (1,453 vs. 1,100), but you’re getting about 22 more HP (the Lotus reportedly had 408 HP) for a power-to-weight ratio of 3.38 lb/hp — only about 0.7 lb/hp higher than the vintage race car and not too far off a LaFerrari.

But that’s just the standard model.

The S+ model drops the weight to 1,280 pounds and ups the horsepower to 525. That’s a power-to-weight ratio of 2.44 lb/hp — or about the same as the Ariel Atom 500 V8 ... without any of the downforce. For a completely unnecessary comparison, the 2005 BMW V10-powered Williams FW27 F1 car reportedly had a power-to-weight ratio of 1.58 lb/hp and (quite literally) a couple tons of downforce.

So in short you’re getting powerful, lightweight little monster with little no downforce that is probably about as challenging to drive as the cars its based on (though traction control is an option). I really hope we get some awesome on-board videos in the near future (you hear that Patrick? Jalopink needs a test drive!).

Now if you’re a particularly wealthy individual with no concern for your life, they !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! $112,800 for the standard model. If you want to put your own engine in, like say a Hellcat, a rolling chassis can be had for $79,500. They’ll even paint it in a vintage livery for you (BRM, Ferrari, Lotus, Cosworth, Matra or Brabham but curiously not Eagle). If you’re especially wealthy, start a racing series.

TL/DR — This modern track car based on a vintage F1 car is awesome.

MRtwo > StingrayJake 06/25/2015 at 17:10

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Hellcat all the things!!

But seriously, could you imagine?

StingrayJake > MRtwo 06/25/2015 at 17:17

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Their instagram page indicates they’re working on a Ferrari-powered model. Wonder what they sourced the engine from.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > StingrayJake 06/25/2015 at 17:35

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Go check out the F1-67 because it looks similar... a little too similar...

http://www.stuart-taylor.co.uk/

StingrayJake > Snuze: Needs another Swede 06/25/2015 at 17:47

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Intriguing. Less horsepower, about the same weight, and a fair bit cheaper. The F1-67 comes across more like a V8-powered replica while the SVF1 is a modern track car that kind of looks like cars of the era. Either way, I think both are great and there should be more of them.

I do like that the F1-67 has dials instead of the digital instrument panel of the SVF1.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > StingrayJake 06/25/2015 at 18:31

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Agreed. The first F1-67 car built used a 5.3L V8, I think, which was only, what, 325HP? Still, thats balls crazy in a light little car like that. And it’s an LS motor, so you can mod it to the moon and back or drop in any other LS.

One of my friends from FSAE and I have kicked around the idea of doing our own vintage F1 type car. Buuuut... one of the things that always gets me is the old cars with the hot-vee engines and all the exhaust pipes coming out of the center. Lotus/Cosworth used it on a few cars, as did Ferrari. I’m not much of a Ford guy, but I’ve done a little research and I *think* with a little bit of modification, the heads on a 4.6L SOHC V8 could be swapped side to side to make a hot vee.

The next step is getting a place to work - I think my wife and I will be moving towards the end of the year. After that, pick up a cheapo mod motor on CL and get to work!

Blondude > StingrayJake 06/25/2015 at 19:19

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I saw that Speedhunters post a few days ago. Sooooo much want, but I’d drop the LS in favor of a Hartley V8. It fits the theme a little better.

StingrayJake > Snuze: Needs another Swede 06/25/2015 at 20:21

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Yeah just the other day I was thinking about what it would take to build something in this vein just a bit more go-kart-like (smaller, lighter, less power). Would be a hoot.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > StingrayJake 06/26/2015 at 07:43

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Are you familiar with Formula SAE? They are based on SCCA A-Mod class AutoX cars, but FSAE requires us to limit power with a 20mm intake restrictor and caps it at 606cc’s displacement. It caps power at a theoretical 80HP, but realistically most see 70HP or less.

But imagine something like that with an unrestricted 600, 750, or even liter bike motor and you’d be in businesss. The cars are super light, usually under 700lbs with fluids and driver (obviously not me driving). You’d have to build it a bit beefier to handle the extra power, but you could probably still keep it at 750lbs and with a liter motor making around 180HP, you’d be in business. At 4.17 lbs/hp it would be no slouch and in the leauge with cars like the Pagani Huayra or Porsche 918.

StingrayJake > Snuze: Needs another Swede 06/26/2015 at 08:14

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Yep. I started out in mechanical engineering before changing majors after two years. I really wanted to be on the FSAE team but I didn’t have much reason after that.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > StingrayJake 06/26/2015 at 09:52

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That’s a shame. At UMD there was a class to get credit, but it was also run on the club level and we opened it up to anyone with an interest. Of course it was still 99% engineers, but every once in a while we’d get a history major or economics major or something to sign on. And they were often really good, hard workers and an asset to the team.

StingrayJake > Snuze: Needs another Swede 06/26/2015 at 10:02

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As I understand it the Texas A&M program is still technically a club and operates the same way. By that point I was pretty busy at the student paper and had already left the paintball club to free up time and money.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > StingrayJake 06/26/2015 at 10:21

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I completely understand, FSAE is a huge time sink. But it’s fun, and racecar! If you browse the FSAE forum, teams occasionally sell their old cars to raise money for their next one. Depending on how you interpret the rules, chassis are only eligible for 1 or 2 years of competition. Because it’s such a limited market, and because most schools get materials donated to them, they usually sell them pretty cheap.