Thursday, May 15, 2008

The Supercar Weber F1: Is Automobile Engine The Secret Of Its Speed?

With its top speed claimed to be 249 mph plus (or 400km/h) this speedy monster is quite capable to give your neighbor sleepless nights. Weber’s Faster One seems to possess all the power it takes to make the owner proud.

Although the car’s been trashed by some for its looks, many don’t seem to share this opinion. The aerodynamics and the powerful engine generating nearly 900 horsepower are what intrigue most.

The Automobile’s Engine

The car houses the already existing LS7 Corvette small-block 7-liter, V8 engine, with a couple of tweaks to enhance performance. The engine’s featherweight Aluminum block has gotten a face lift with the installation of state of the art components. These high-grade automobile parts entail a precision-balanced crankshaft and precision-balanced piston rods coupled with forged pistons.

The camshaft of the engine is known to have high performance timing, which is supported by two cylinder heads with larger valves. Further the intake/outlet ports have been tuned for optimal mixture flow.

Moreover, even the peripherals of the engine of the automobile have been altered with the finesse of Swiss engineers. These engineering feats include a specially designed high-performance fuel injection system and a supercharging system assisted by a single mechanical belt-driven supercharger for each bank of cylinders.

As for the exhaust system, it’s been made from stainless steel and incorporates metal catalysts that has a low back pressure. It is further supported by a muffler bypass valve that unleashes a some great acoustic performance.

The engine’s enormously high capacity and forced induction leads to a magnificent power output of 662kW at 7 000r/min and 1050Nm at 3 800r/min.

Apparently, the car’s not so “aesthetic” design tuned for aerodynamics than appeal is also a big factor contributing to its speedy performance. For instance it totally lacks door handles as even they can increase drag, the underside too has been finished to matchless smoothness, and the whole Aluminum frame weighs only 65Kg.

Undoubtedly, with so much of adroitness going into its design, the supercar accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds. Needless to mention the price tag of this masterpiece is around US$1.5 million! So are you ready for it?

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