Concepts, Hype and the Dream of Megacars
Call it the ‘Apple Effect’ or hyper-realized thinking or maybe just too much Gran Turismo, but linear supercar development seems to have given way to giant leaps in both technical reach and raw hype. New concepts, especially those from new specialty companies, are always part snake oil, part big dreams and part actual engineering.
Much has been speculated about Faraday Future, an electric car start-up backed by a mountain of Chinese money and surrounded by extravagant claims and mystery. The 2016 Consumer Electronics Show kicked off the year with a number of new automotive interactive technologies. Once a simple tech industry trade show, CES has evolved into an auto show complete with the unveiling of wild automotive concepts. Faraday Future became the center of the show by announcing they would finally uncover their top-secret modular platform electric that was reputedly built to take on Tesla.
When the cloth dropped, shocked onlookers expecting a futuristic sedan or SUV stood in awe (or disbelief) at the 1000hp hypercar that would look more at home in the Batcave than fighting traffic next to a Tesla. Most of the press had expected a more serious car. Faraday has supposedly invested heavily in a billion-dollar factory in Nevada. They have cherry-picked serious talent to design cars and establish the business plans. They have promised to “revolutionize the car business.” And now they were showing off something completely unrealistic.
The FFZERO1 is a proof of concept in the flashiest way possible. If generating a buzz was what Faraday was going after, they succeeded brilliantly. Their promised Tesla-slayer will have to be much more like a Tesla, so why not have some fun and let the designers body the technology in something sure to grab attention? What is real is the modular platform design, an idea used by some larger manufacturers taken to its most efficient form.
Faraday’s modular platform allows a single chassis architecture to be used across a model line, with variable suspension and wheelbase depending upon the type of vehicle. Faraday plans to equip its cars with one, two or three electric motors, and is looking at full connectivity and autonomous driving. The real technology breakthrough, according to Faraday, is in batteries. Arranged in what the company calls "strings," rectangles of connected battery cells run along the floor of the platform. Battery configurations can be increased or decreased by adding or subtracting strings, depending upon the needs of the vehicle. No charge times or duration figures have yet been released.
For the FFZERO1, Faraday wanted to show how far out their philosophies could go. Four engines, 1000hp and a fighter-pilot single seat configuration aren’t features that a serious large-scale manufacturer can realistically produce. But as a show-stealing dream car, it has everything it needs. Faraday head of design, Richard Kim, had this to say, “This project liberated our designers and inspired new approaches for vehicle forms, proportions and packaging that we can apply to our upcoming production models.”
While Faraday Future at least seems to have one foot in reality, other dreamcar start-ups seem destined to never get past the concept stage. A couple of years ago, a new supercar that was to be built in the Arab kingdom of Dubai caused a minor stir when it was announced. The Devel Sixteen claimed to be an ultra-exclusive FIVE THOUSAND HORSEPOWER MEGACAR. It was supposed to be able to eat Bugatti Chirons and Koenigseggs at will, using its 12-liter V-16 quad turbo monster motor. Exaggerated claims have always been a part of drumming up excitement for a new, supposedly world-changing product, but the Devel Sixteen seemed too outlandish for serious consideration.
A website with minimal information and rough mock-up photos didn’t help energize any real interest in the car. Sure, it looked more Batmobile-like than the Batmobile, complete with what appeared to be two jet exhausts sticking out of the tail; but details, most importantly engine specifics, were nowhere to be found. And about that ridiculous 5000hp claim? It was all too much, and the Devel Sixteen was sort of pushed back into the netherworld where unrealistic dreams go to die.
Then in December, the Devel Sixteen jumped back onto the supercar radar. A video was released, not only showing the purported 12.3-liter V16 quad turbo running, but actually hooked up to a real dyno and growling out—wait for it—3006 hp on 92 octane street gas and 20psi of boost. Switching to racing fuel and pumping the boost to 36psi generated a brain-melting 4515hp and 3519lb-ft of torque. And there’s more to come. According to the video released by Steve Morris Engines, the dyno can't handle any more horsepower, and the 5000hp goal is absolutely within reason. The noise alone is glorious.
This surprise video, while going a long way to validate the Devel Sixteen as a for-real car company, only opens up more questions. What kind of components are required to handle that much insanity? Does it come with a pressure suit? How do you tame 5000hp enough to drive it on the road? Suddenly the crazy performance claims of 0-60mph in 1.8 seconds and the 348mph top speed seem almost attainable. We want to see the Devel Sixteen rocket down one of those endless Dubai highways. Better yet, when can we drive one? Build it. Build it now!
Using concept cars to hype a brand’s more sedate production efforts is nothing new. We love them; love the glimmer of hope they convey even if they can sometimes seem unrealistic. Other times they are both dreamy and feasible. Recently, Mazda teased us with their RX-7 replacement concept, the RX-Vision, complete with promises of their Skyactiv-R advanced rotary engine. Like the Faraday FFZERO1 and the Devel Sixteen, it looks fast and futuristic. Unlike the two supercars, the RX-Vision looks ready for production. Please, Mazda… just build it.
