What car would you CREATE?
 

A number of threads exist requesting input on what car people should buy. These are quickly filled up with the existing leader board of cars, and pretty much all other vehicles on the road are excluded.

However, out of morbid curiosity, and a desire to always do something different to others, I would love to hear peoples thoughts on what car they would create, or extensively modify to achieve a fuel efficient basis for various tasks.

For example a template could be as basic as the below

Budget Bracket {$0-->$5000,$5001-->$15,000,$15001-->$30,000,$30,000+}

Purpose of car {Daily driver around town, Daily Driver longer distance, 1/2 ton Work Truck (or Van), 1 ton work truck (Or van), luxury touring, sports car}

Proposed basis for car {Ground up build from raw materials, Kit car, previous production car}

Engine of choice { ??? }

Transmission of choice { ??? }

Drivetrain of choice {fwd, rwd, 4wd, other}

Modifications required to above { ??? }

Expected mileage { ??}

Expected cost to build { ?? }

This effectively removes the constraints from the obligatory Civic vs Mirage recommendations, and opens the field up to those with broader vision..

I would definitely take the 00-06 Honda insight shell and put a 1L TurboDiesel engine in it. No fancy hybrid, just good ol' reliable diesel tech with a 6-7 speed manual gearbox. The only thing I would change about the shell would be smaller side view mirrors.

The benefits of this over what the car currently has.
-no hybrid systems to fail.
-vehicle overall would be more enjoyable to drive due to the increased powerband of TD engines.
-Way more cargo space in the rear.
-Due to how Torquey TD's are, you could tow a decent amount (not a lot, but a hell of a more than a stock insight can).

I've had the design and parts figured out for this for a long time, but not enough time or money to spare...

Purpose: DD around town
Basis: Built from ground up. Steel space frame/fiberglass body
Engine: Dual Agni 95 DC motors
Transmission: None... sprocket and chain
Drivetrain: READ
Modifications: Reverse trike (2-seat tandem), front steering from junkyard car (smart car?) with the rear half of a motorcycle.
Expected Mileage: 300+mpg
Expected Cost: 10k-15k

Even factoring in the cost of changing the lithium batteries when they die, it still costs less than $0.03/mile to drive

i've planned a tiny ev. It would look like something resembling a Peel p50.

id like to make a enclosed, tiny car as possible (i have a thing for minimalism/functionalism)

Engine: 1000W Electric, center rear wheel or two 500w at both rear wheels, if i make a 4-wheeler (no need to register) if total max is 1000w

Speed: 25Km/h (no need to register then)

bolted alu frame.

Budget? Id hope to stay under a couple hundred, maybe 500 bux.


making a tiny paintball tank would be cool too. :DDD

I like the rear-engine RWD layout from the earlier Volkswagens, which provides some reasonable off-road ability at a relatively low cost, but I would be open-minded to eventually consider other possible layouts. When it comes to bodystyles, a priority would be a cab-forward utility vehicle (either a van or a crew-cab truck) with a turbodiesel engine and 4WD but I would also not disconsider a Baja bug (even though it would be nearly impossible to title it with a Diesel engine in my POS of a country).

One I have been thinking about , but too time poor (And $$$ poor!!) to start on...

Budget Bracket $15001-->$30,000

Purpose of car : sports car

Proposed basis for car : Utilise a 1992-->2002 Mazda Rx7 - this is a lightweight platform, with superb aerodynamics, great handling, and importantly a good sized engine bay..Would require a transmission tunnel modification to fit gearbox of choice, and conversion of the popup lights to fixed units (Kits available on the market for this..in HID)

Engine of choice : Chevrolet Duramax 6.6 from as late a model as budget allows..Turbo of course..boosted slightly to give around 500hp which would make for a fun ride (The FD rx7 has a factory installed 13Brew engine (13B Rotary with twin turbos, intercooler etc), Conversion to LS v8 is a relatively easy thing these days with kits designed to bolt in...modifying from one of these to suit the big diesel should be relatively straightforward...expected weight difference to factory should be less than 200KG extra (440lbs))

Transmission of choice : TR-6070 7 speed manual from a 2014 corvette (0.42 final overdrive) - This is a big box, and would require some tin work to fit into the transmission tunnel..but would have the big torquey diesel ticking over at idle at 60mph ...for highway driving this should deliver outstanding fuel economy.

Drivetrain of choice RWD - Samberg diff conversion kit..replacing rear end with a cobra IRS kit is also possibly worthwhile to handle the torque, and give a broader choice of final gear ratios ..

Modifications required to above : apart from the fitment kit, and small amount of bodywork, the basic car and drivetrain are more than adequate for the task. Multiple 1000hp Rotary and V8 examples exist worlwide showing the chassis is strong enough for a simple 500-600hp diesel conversion. The Big duramax can handle 500-600hp without too many mechanical mods (injectors / pump / ECU), and for normal day to day driving tune could be configured to deliver a lazy 300hp for enhanced fuel economy..then turned up for some playtime on the track..

Expected mileage : - Wild estimate..but based on the corvette getting close to 40mpg with a petrol engine, on a less aerodynamic and heavier package..it would be estimated an easy 50mpg, and potentially with hypermiling driving upwards of 60mpg...from a 500hp sports car...

Expected cost to build: Base car $8000, Selling running gear $-3000, Used Duramax $4000, Transmission $3000, Conversion kit $5000, ECU / Ancilleries - $3000 - so around the $20,000 mark for a car that would return insane fuel economy better than some hybrids..and have 500hp, 10 second 1/4 mile times, and 300kph top speed...OBVIOUSLY if driven like a sports car, fuel economy would be poor however...Additionally, if some of the engine mods I am testing at the moment work as expected, applying them to this engine would result in a 40% further reduction in fuel..so maybe close to 90mpg from a 500hp car for ~$25k....

EDIT: conformed to template

http://i.imgur.com/v7l9s9x.jpg

Budget Bracket - I think it could easily run $30,000+, it's essentially converting an Insight into a VW XL1

Purpose of car - General use

Proposed basis for car - 2000-2006 Honda Insight

Engine of choice - Accord Hybrid drivetrain (2L Atkinson cycle engine mated to 181HP electric motor, 212HP combined), or if I could summon it out of the air, a miniature version with 2/3 to 3/4 the displacement to reduce weight. Alternatively, maybe the hybrid TDI from the XL1 itself.

Have options for small battery or PEHV with ~20-30 miles range. Easy 100mpg highway on gasoline alone, ability to do short trips without starting the gasoline engine at all. Common battery chemistry makes replacing battery a breeze when that eventuality comes. Battery for PEHV could be 1/6 to 1/8 the Leaf's size, very inexpensive to replace.

Transmission of choice Clutched direct drive from engine, single speed

http://media.caranddriver.com/images...s-original.jpg

Drivetrain of choice FWD, possibility of an electric motor in single rear wheel

Modifications required to above

Make it a trike - 3 wheels, 3 seats, longer wheel base, more aggressive rear taper, longer hatch - with the rear seat folded down, so you could maybe sleep in it comfortably. Lithium batteries moved to floor, freeing up tons of room in the rear, giving it a cavernous cargo area.

With the loss of a rear wheel, a change to lithium and the removal of the transmission, the car would probably end up lighter despite being longer and having more power, maybe 1600-1800lbs, down from 1850. With ~150+ ft-lbs torque, it would be a blast to drive.

Expected mileage 150-200MPGe, 100mpg+ on the highway on gasoline

Expected cost to build - Don't even want to think about this

I drew my dream eco/sports car a while ago, here is the picture I would be basing this car off of.
Attachment 21443
Here would be the realistic donor car, a 1991-1997 Mazda MX-6
Attachment 21444

Budget Bracket {$0-->$5000,$5001-->$15,000,$15001-->$30,000,$30,000+}
$15,000-$30,000

Purpose of car {Daily driver around town, Daily Driver longer distance, 1/2 ton Work Truck (or Van), 1 ton work truck (Or van), luxury touring, sports car}
Sports car

Proposed basis for car {Ground up build from raw materials, Kit car, previous production car}
The closest reasonable car I can find to my drawn design would be the 1991-1997 Mazda MX-6

Engine of choice
One of two inline sixes: Either a 1JZ (2.5) or a 2JZ (3.0)

Transmission of choice
A 6+ speed manual compatible with a mid engine RWD layout.

Drivetrain of choice {fwd, rwd, 4wd, other}
Rear wheel drive

Modifications required to above
The base car would require extensive modifications to turn it into what I would want it to be. Most notably would be the switch from front engine front wheel drive to mid engine rear wheel drive. Another big switch would be the changes to the cooling system. My design features a cooling system which would utilize the meredith effect to minimize drag from the cooling system.

Expected mileage
As far as EPA ratings, maybe 21 city, 32 highway? Ideally, it should be able to achieve 50 MPG highway with my driving style.

Expected cost to build
Probably in the $15K-$30K range. Custom fabrication would probably have to be farmed out to turn a 1-2JZ into a mid engine rear wheel drive.

^^ (Ecky) I like your thinking. That's pretty much the design I was talking about, but 2 seater tandem instead​ of 3 seats so I could taper the boat tail more. Also I like the hybrid idea. I'd probably go with the smallest engine I coul get away with though to maintain highway speeds (and charge) and use the electric motors to accelerate to speed and cruise around town.

I would start with a chevy half ton from the mid 90's amd retrofit a cummins 4bt turbo diesel from the same era. No computer anything. P7100 injection pump, oring head, head studs, and a smallish turbo. Lpg fumigation and a 6spd manuel (g56) would give it exceptional mileage possibly in the mid 40s the way I drive. Diesel dave would probably get in the 70s. The lumber rack would make aero mods kind of pointless.

The Atkinson cycle reduces torque a lot, and the 1.0 in the Insight already is barely adequate to cruise on the highway, so if you were going to go Atkinson you'd need to add a bit of displacement.

This is roughly what I would want. 2 key factors for maximum MPGs: lack of weight & best aerodynamics. It would blow anything else out of the water.

Main difference is that I want it mass-produced, so that it's in under the $5k mark. A small lean-burn gasoline or tiny turbo diesel would probably help keep the cost down, with the electric or hybrid as a more expensive option.

This.

I would also like to see a version that keeps the hybrid section with one difference. I would keep it a manual trans, but add a second clutch between the ICE and motor. This would give electric only capabilities which is the one drawback on the insight. Even the most efficient ICE is horrible in slow city traffic. Having the ability to just leave the trans in 3rd gear and putt along in rush hour traffic would be nice.

I really need to learn more about Insights. I've only ever seen 2 in my life so I figured they were hard to source. I was thinking along the lines of an OBD1 Geo Metro XFI (though I LOVE Honda's) engine or something. Its fuel injected, easy to work on and not as many computers to deal with (maybe I'm just anti-OBD2+). Maybe even a water cooled motorcycle engine, it's smaller, lighter and since I've designed the rear of the car around the back half of a motorcycle it would be very easy to make it work. Then have a long gear ratio form the motor to the wheels, I think it should cruise just fine. I think it's sexy!

Oh and the design I was trying to explain is VERY similar to the VW 1L concept:
http://images.autowereld.com/high/99...DB2003AU01.jpg

I wish I was richer

I have never seen any full-hybrid with a regular manual transmission, even though some hybrid trucks and buses have automated-manual ones.

Just because they don't exist, doesn't mean they wouldn't be a good idea. Another idea for the insight would be to add a small, 5-10 hp wheel hub motor to the Insight rear wheels. This would give e motor only capabilities in slow stop and go traffic and also give it AWD capabilitiy. So long as these motors were kept very modest in size it shouldn't hurt ride/handling much.

Somebody did it. On an accord.
https://www.wired.com/2012/08/hybrid-conversion/

I'm just not sure if that would be so easy to market them at a large volume, but it's clearly doable.

A race car and a motor home:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...11-5-38-12.png

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...07-7-35-02.png

Also, there is a thread were I considered the tadpole

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...itt-24546.html

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...274f888-z4.jpg

Motorhome gets a Tesla drivetrain, race car gets a 2017 RAV4 rear axle, and the Messer-clone gets a Buick Lacross altermotor.

That is exactly what I am talking about.

Someone really needs to put this in a 1st gen insight. It would be quite the little hot rod. And if it will push an old Accord wagon 35 miles by itself, it would probably push the Insight 60.

Looks like Honda created my dream powertrain. Just read a news article on the Clarity hybrid, comes with a 1.5L Atkinson cycle lean burn i4 paired with an electric motor with 181HP / 232ft-lbs torque and a 17kwh battery. I'd probably downsize the electrical system.

That excellent handling part of the equation goes to hell with the duramax lump replacing the extremely light weight 13B. I suppose you could beef up the suspension to handle it, but it will never get back to the balance it had with the rotary. I think a better route might be a heavily tweaked tdi motor.

the RX-7 was designed with almost 50/50 weight ratio.... The duramax could quite surely turn it into a pretty crappy handling one, too front heavy.

I'm not sure everyone here would appreciate my ideal build...lol

Yes the FD Rx7 actually had pretty close to 25/25/25/25 weight distribution..

However..you will be surprised to know the 13B-REW (Twin turbo 13B Rotary) is actually an extremely HEAVY setup...
Replacing the 13B-rew with a LS3 actually results in a LIGHTER car...a few KGs only..but lighter nonetheless..and the v8 keeps the weight distribution in almost exactly the same spot as the 13B..

Now I am not stupid enough to believe a duramax is the same weight as an LS3, so obviously the big lump will change it a bit.., so lets do the maths (Roughly!)

LS3 = 211KG / 466lbs
LBZ =379KG / 837lbs

FD RX7 stock weight ~ 1298KG / 2862lbs

Assuming a 50/50 weight balance, and noting the engine is BEHIND the front axle (13B and the v8 both fit behind..infact the v8 has LESS weight infront due to not having some many ancilleries infront of it!)

we will work on 650KG / 2430lbs approx front axle weight based on 50/50 distribution..
As the engine sits behind the axle..lets work on 2/3rds the weight of the engine differential..

Approx 170KG heavier between the engines (13BREW/LS3 --> LBZ)
So if we allowed 2/3rds the weight, it would be 110kg extra on the front, and 60kg extra on the rear..

We also need to allow for the gearbox, which the allison is heavy at around 300lbs..(136KG), which would be DOUBLE the weight of the FD 5 speed box..so we need to add about 60KG in the centre of the car (tranny would put close to 50% of its weight to either axle)

Adding this to the 650KG per axle
Front 790KG
Rear 740KG
Curb Weight 1530KG
Giving 51.6/48.4 weight distribution....not many cars get to that :)


I hope the LBZ weight figure I got from Wiki is correct...

Still not bad... but trust me, you will feel all 179 kilos of that extra weight every time you get to a corner. Not something you can't tune out, but it will still affect the handling.

I wonder if you can move the cooling system to the trunk. :D

Curiously, why not a V6 diesel? Less weight... better economy... and you still get that nice dollop of torque...

Agreed, it wont be as nimble as a stock FD...but with some wide arse rubber, and big brakes it will handle very well..With the big bad arse engine in there which could be tuned to well in excess of 1000hp if desired (And still be frugal when OFF boost..), you would have a super nimble sports car (Think better handling than a Z06 vette), more straightline punch capability than a dodge viper, and better fuel economy than a prius...not a bad mix ....
Yes, you could definately put a more efficient smaller diesel in there, with decent torque to maintain the shoot for the stars gearing, but you would instantly lose the straightline speed required to make a race car driver grin properly!

Alrighty then: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ery-26356.html

Not sure if a Diesel RX-7 would lead to a fuel-efficiency really comparable to a Prius, but that would be still awesome. BTW what about that Cummins ISV5.0 from the Nissan Titan instead of the Duramax?

Basically I would make my own Aptera if I could.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-cont...ra-626x382.jpg

Arcimoto SRK with the roll cage chopped and a Randy-Grubb-Decopod style torpedo body.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-fr...274f888-z4.jpg

I wish they'd ship product.

Now I'm wandering how long it will be until some Clarity PEHVs end up in junkyards... because I could actually (mostly) bills my dream car.

What OEM parts do you need, the Hydrogen tanks?

Na, I'm interested in the PEHV. To me, a 1.5L lean burn Atkinson cycle "range extender" engine with a clutched 1 speed "gearbox" to the wheels, mated series-hybrid to a Chevy Volt sized battery is an almost perfect drivetrain.

Honda touted the 2.0 that landed in the 2nd gen Accord hybrid was the most efficient production gasoline engine in the world (the Accord gets almost 25% better highway economy than the Volt on gas alone, despite being bigger), and this appears to be a downsized version of that engine.

EDIT:

Using 2755g/gal of gasoline, 214g/kwh means you're getting 12.9kwh of usable energy, which is 38.3% thermally efficient.

It was a trick question. If you're not interested in hydrogen as a fuel, and since the
Clarity will never 'fill the junkyards' without an hydrogen fuel infrastructure being in place; then why not get a 2nd gen Accord and sleeve and de-stroke the engine? That's standard engineering practice.

And it's more likely to ignite 87-octane gasoline.

I really like the Linner Strømlinet Vogn design by Tyler Linner shown here: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/...d485444d_z.jpg
(Click on image for link)

and here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sven_de...7627502802789/

Here's a video of my interpretation of Tyler's design:
https://youtu.be/mz7XnF7Q32c

This:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...dac8af0717.jpg
With the front suspension of this:
http://images.mcn.bauercdn.com/uploa...gio-mp3-lt.jpg

Goal: to transport 2 people or 1 person + 100 kg of cargo, with the benefits of:
-not getting wet when it rains
-not falling on your head when you get bumped into by a car
-low taxation and low fuel consumption
-legally lane-splitting when its rush hour.
-3 wheels means I can drive it on my car license / don't need a motorcycle license.
-3 wheels means it doesn't fall over without extending 'landing gear'
-better fuel efficiency through streamlined body instead of upright toilet seat position.

Construction would probably be steel frame with lexan and fiberglass outter shell, though could also be carbon fiber monocoque if needed to save weight. There are some weight limitations on what is considered a motorcycle.

Drivetrain would either be motorcycle or electric, not particularly picky on that right now, motorcycle would probably be the cheaper and lighter option, plus easier to get it road legal.

Budget, I think somewhere between 12k and 15k including a used donor motorcycle for drivetrain and suspension should do the trick. I just don't have the money or the time.

Also, this isn't a novel idea, I got inspired by students from my university who attempted the exact same, but got stuck in the "getting a custom vehicle road legal" papermill and then gave up.

I miss him posting, last post was 05-01-2016 07:07 PM.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8487/8...008e8c94_z.jpg
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/linner-stromlinet-vogn-ii-24269.html#post345139

Look at the profile across the base of the windshield.

Better handling than a Z06?

I think not.

The Z06 will outhandle the RX-7 and virtually every other car on the planet, including most super cars. Your duramax RX-7 will handle like an RX-7, with a fatman strapped down to the hood.

I do agree that it would get Prius mileage along with insane acceleration.....one you get the rear wheels to hook up. The mega torque from a tweaked duramax would make this a challenge.

I think I'm in love. :D