Ever fancied owning a stunt car -- could it be the start of a new career?
Lurking in PistonHeads' classifieds pages is a stunt car that splits in two. It's based on two Vauxhall Astras -- a machine that advertiser Mark Wade said "is the direct result of too much consumption of Stella Artois".
The car is in the final stages of a completed state, but due to various work commitments the project has taken a back seat for too long and the time has come to move it on.
All the work on the cars was done by professional designers and engineers. The car was built as a demonstration vehicle, with the intention of performing driving demonstrations at motorsport meetings and shows (as well as personal enjoyment).
The initial concept was to build a car which would drive in both directions at speed (a classic push-me pull-me). This concept was developed further to allow the car to split into its separate halves, and still be drivable. The steel cages welded into the "open" ends of the cars, are manufactured from heavy gauge steel, with integral locating and locking mechanisms. This framework allows the 2 halves to be reversed into each other, and lock together. The only part missing from the locking mechanism is a method of locking the bottom edges together (currently bolted).
Since both halves of the car have a standard 1.4 engine and gearbox, the car is capable of 100mph (in either direction), and with the addition of 2 competent drivers, the car can crab, perform very tight turns along with more normal car stunts such as handbrake turns and reverse spins. A tug of war can be simulated with both cars wheel spinning spectacularly, culminating with the cars separating (in a surprise twist).
With the cars separated, the fun just keeps coming, since the car is now half its original length, and running on castors at the rear, the cars become even more manoeuvrable! As the independent cars do not have any brakes to the rear (due to an obvious lack of rear wheels), but we have welded an extra calliper on the front right hub on both cars. Master cylinders have been mounted in the place of the original handbrakes, and once the new owner has finished this additional brake work, the inside wheel can be braked separately (via a handbrake lever), and the car will spin on the spot.