Monday 27th September 2004

New Suzuki race/road car concept unveiled

Low-slung, bike-engined racer -- but will it enter production?

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Suzuki has unveiled its latest design concept, and it could be a doozy. The road-going Hayabusa GT prototype, a compact coupe, is based on the successful Hayabusa single-seater, racing car one-make Japanese class. According to Suzuki, since the first of the open-wheelers took to the track, demand for a road-going version has grown.

Suzuki’s response has been a superlight GT coupe with 50:50 weight distribution, a low centre of gravity and minimal front/rear overhang. This bright yellow prototype is built on a short wheelbase and sports a sleek body with aerodynamics aided by a flat floor and a low-drag rear end.

Styled in a moving belt-type wind tunnel in the Suzuki Sport factory in Japan, the mid-engined GT drives the rear wheels, while the gull-wing door body is made from fibreglass and carbon fibre, fitted to a specially designed aluminium alloy space frame. Suzuki reckons it has added crash-worthiness.

The Suzuki Hayabusa engine, which powers the GSX1300R high performance motorcycle, is a 1,299 litre four-stroke, 16-valve, double overhead camshaft unit that revs to 11,000 rpm, producing 95 bhp at 9,800 rpm and 101 lb/ft of torque at 7,000 rpm. It runs at a compression ratio of 11:1 and feeds through a six-speed sequential gearbox. Weighing in at 550 kg, it provides a power to weight ratio of 314 bhp per tonne.

Suzuki says that, to assist the car’s low centre of gravity, the exhaust pipe is located on the left side of the chassis rather than underneath. The company says it has endeavoured to use as many original factory parts as possible, not only to reduce costs but also to preserve the originality of the sports car.

The car employs double wishbone suspension and is fitted with 15-inch diameter, 6.5J wide aluminium alloy wheels, shod with 175/80 R15 tyres. Built on a 2,320mm wheelbase (or less than a production Suzuki Ignis), the Hayabusa GT is 4,050mm long.

While no plans exist to put this radical concept into production, the design is a showcase for Suzuki's technical innovation and provides a pointer towards future technology.

[lockup]

Er, what have they done with the other 80bhp? Surely it hasn't all been traded for low down torque?

[lanciachris]

I actually quite liked the look of this one until I saw the rear lights. Please have your own takes on other peoples ideas as oppose to lumping them in wholesale!

[BigGee]

Does it or does it not look like a Tiv?

[Rob Smith7]

I always thought that bikes we not effected by the stringent emissions regs that cars are (hence the mad power outputs) surely Suzuki cannot make this car for general sale without suffocating the life out of the engine?

[RB Will]

yeah where did the power go!

[Stephen White]

Excuse me; "175/80-15"s? 80-series tires? Is someone proof-reading this stuff?

[Cotty]

Now that looks like the sort of thing I have been looking for for years. If they keep the price down I think they have a winner. and if they decide not to make it can i have the prototype

>> Edited by Cotty on Monday 27th September 12:42

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Cotty - You should take a look at the "Evil Twin" SMART coupe, got a 1000cc motorbike engine and gearbox in place of the 600cc Turbo and slush box.

www.smartsrus.com/evil_twin_z-cars.htm

Rob

[D4V KC]

Cotty said:

Now that looks like the sort of thing I have been looking for for years. If they keep the price down I think they have a winner. and if they decide not to make it can i have the prototype >> Edited by Cotty on Monday 27th September 12:42

I'm with you mate, can we share alternative weekends if they just leave it as the prototype? We'll get it de-restricted back to the motorbikes 170BHP and go Maclaren F1 hunting!

[Marki]

Rob_the_Sparky said:

Cotty - You should take a look at the "Evil Twin" SMART coupe, got a 1000cc motorbike engine and gearbox in place of the 600cc Turbo and slush box. www.smartsrus.com/evil_twin_z-cars.htm Rob

Oh really now that sounds like a heap of fun

[the fury]

Looks like a mini Panoz esperante, but less ugly.

[lanciachris]

Marki said:

Rob_the_Sparky said: Cotty - You should take a look at the "Evil Twin" SMART coupe, got a 1000cc motorbike engine and gearbox in place of the 600cc Turbo and slush box. <a href="http://www.smartsrus.com/evil_twin_z-cars.htm">www.smartsrus.com/evil_twin_z-cars.htm</a> Rob Oh really now that sounds like a heap of fun

I thought so, till I realised you could get a griffith for less money.

[Rob_the_Sparky]

According to the Telegraph a while back the conversion costs £7k self build and £10k factory.

[lanciachris]

Sooo. price of 2nd hand roadster, say we get it a bit cheap : £9k. Price of conversion : £10k = total of £19k = Big wonga. But.

The figure of £16k was given to me when I enquired about the cost for them to supply a converted roadster and repaint it in the colours I wanted. I dont dispute that it is a good price considering what they do.

[lockup]

Right this is all getting a bit OT but,

I thought Smarts didn't get painted - they just have replacement plastic panels for a few hundred quid.

???

[2 sheds]

according to the power to weight ratio it should have more like 170 bhp

[fourwheelsteer]

I like that. It is small, low, light and pretty simple. It seems like everything a sporting car should be. Sadly it looks far to interesting to make it through type approval and even if it did would it be affordable here in the UK?

[Rob_the_Sparky]

My Pug 205s are far off that so why the fuss? Heavy driver and the power to weight drops very rapidly.

With a "proper" power output though I bet it would be fun...

[cotty]

Fronts interesting but id still have one

[iguana]

Yes please yes please, even tho no doubt I wouldnt be able to fit in one