"Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura" (sundowne36)
01/10/2014 at 00:21 • Filed to: Automation, Arcadia Motors
3
1|
"Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura" (sundowne36)
01/10/2014 at 00:21 • Filed to: Automation, Arcadia Motors | 3
| 1 |
Arcadia Savitas GT-8 - Japanese Grand Touring at 160 KM/H
Words: Satoshi Katsura
Photos: Arcadia Motors and Satoshi Katsura
"Mr. Katsura, the president will see you now," were the words that came out of this lovely receptionist's mouth as I stood up from the rather utilitarian chair. Well, the entire lobby's utilitarian by itself - warm, fun and quiet. God forbid the American jobs back home!
As soon as I met up with Ryo Saionji, the president of Arcadia Motors, we had a bit of a chat before he brought me to the garage - where one of his company's latest creations began to take shape. It had been in the press and in concept form for so long so imagine my shock when Mr. Saionji had picked me (ME!) to be the first person to see the Savitas . It was one of the most-talked Grand Tourers to date from Arcadia Motors with the new 3.0L Twin Turbo V8 fitted under the bonnet.
Now, I thought the engine looked familiar as I took a closer look and Mr. Saionji leaned in with a whisper, "Yes, we actually asked BMW if we could borrow this engine." Yep, you read right: they actually re-tooled an M60B30 engine for this specific purpose. Now, mind you, I also thought the M60 was a hodge-podge engine when Sulfur was the norm: I later found out the engine was actually build from the ground up with BMW's permission, given new headers as well as direct injection, and it was shoehorned into a JUSE Platform. This meant that the car could be fitted with Rear or All Wheel Drive, and that meant you had an everyday Grand Tourer.
At the time, the car was nowhere near finished but because Mr. Saionji wanted to stick with the company's morale to produce nothing but a range of pure-driven sports cars (this means no computer gimmicks save for the All Wheel Drive System - and even that is stuck to a 50/50 power distribution), I'd expect the Savitas become the answer to the pursuit of the ultimate driving pleasure. And I may come back since they may have a car lined up for a test run in the future.
Stats:
Arcadia Motors Arcadia Savitas GT-8
Engine: 3.0L DOHC 5-valve Direct-Injection Twin-Scroll Twin Turbo Crossplane V8 (Arcadia M60B30TT Rev.2)
Power: 494 BHP @ 7,600 RPM
Torque: 380 Lb./ft @ 6,400 RPM
Transmission: DCT 6-Speed Sequential Manual (GT-8A)/7-speed Manual (GT-8)
Drivetrain: Front-engine, Four Wheel Drive (Symmetrical)
Platform: Arcadia JUSE Platform
jmart
> Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
01/10/2014 at 04:07 |
|
must figure out a way to get this on my mac...