A drive in Gordon Murray's Rocket
Discussion
Before the roads started to be salted, I took out one of my favourite cars for a wintery blast. My chosen steed for a cross-country run was my Light Car Company Rocket, chassis R002, which I've now owned for just over a year.
I remember when the Rocket was launched. Gordon Murray designed the car in a venture with Chris Craft (the successful racing driver and engineer) in the early 90s, supposedly to test what it felt like to drive a car with a central driving position (the Rocket, of course, being followed in the Murray hall of fame by the McLaren F1). At the time, it was a revelation and it looked like nothing else on the road, with its lovely, cigar shaped bodywork.
It was, if I am not mistaken, one of the very first bike-engined cars and incredibly light. My car was built very recently, reusing one of the original race chassis and bodywork (hence R002) and is even lighter than some of the other cars - perhaps 385kg with all fluids.
There is no doubt the low mass is the defining feature of the car. All you need to steer is telepathy, the car responding instantly seemingly to just the merest hint of steering input. The Yamaha engine is rated at 140bhp, and has more than enough thrust to make this a very quick car. The brakes are by Brembo and are fantastically feelsome and powerful, but you almost never need them as the car has such lovely engine response that it can flow down a road using just acceleration sense.
The Gordon Murray design philosophy is also evident in how the car rides. It is so supple over the bumps and crests. I recall reading that when Murray was designing the F1 he was very taken with the suspension on the NSX (a car which I am also fortunate to own), which allows for a good deal of longitudinal wheel movement to ride bumps well. Both the NSX and Rocket have that sense of taut body control whilst not being overly stiff - it works so well on Britain's B-roads. A far cry from many of today’s sports cars, which bludgeon the road into submission with stiff chassis and even stiffer springs!
I think it is interesting that it has taken nearly 20 years for manufacturers to focus on weight reduction ahead of increasing power output – I suppose this is because the latter is often a cheaper option to increase power to weight ratios; but driving the Rocket is the most extreme and vivid example of why light weight is the way to go because every single dynamic aspect of the car is better.
Murray was – as ever – so far ahead of his time.
A video of a short drive - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeE0G13y9bk
The pictures below are courtesy of a talented friend, Stuart Bonnell. I hope you will enjoy.
I remember when the Rocket was launched. Gordon Murray designed the car in a venture with Chris Craft (the successful racing driver and engineer) in the early 90s, supposedly to test what it felt like to drive a car with a central driving position (the Rocket, of course, being followed in the Murray hall of fame by the McLaren F1). At the time, it was a revelation and it looked like nothing else on the road, with its lovely, cigar shaped bodywork.
It was, if I am not mistaken, one of the very first bike-engined cars and incredibly light. My car was built very recently, reusing one of the original race chassis and bodywork (hence R002) and is even lighter than some of the other cars - perhaps 385kg with all fluids.
There is no doubt the low mass is the defining feature of the car. All you need to steer is telepathy, the car responding instantly seemingly to just the merest hint of steering input. The Yamaha engine is rated at 140bhp, and has more than enough thrust to make this a very quick car. The brakes are by Brembo and are fantastically feelsome and powerful, but you almost never need them as the car has such lovely engine response that it can flow down a road using just acceleration sense.
The Gordon Murray design philosophy is also evident in how the car rides. It is so supple over the bumps and crests. I recall reading that when Murray was designing the F1 he was very taken with the suspension on the NSX (a car which I am also fortunate to own), which allows for a good deal of longitudinal wheel movement to ride bumps well. Both the NSX and Rocket have that sense of taut body control whilst not being overly stiff - it works so well on Britain's B-roads. A far cry from many of today’s sports cars, which bludgeon the road into submission with stiff chassis and even stiffer springs!
I think it is interesting that it has taken nearly 20 years for manufacturers to focus on weight reduction ahead of increasing power output – I suppose this is because the latter is often a cheaper option to increase power to weight ratios; but driving the Rocket is the most extreme and vivid example of why light weight is the way to go because every single dynamic aspect of the car is better.
Murray was – as ever – so far ahead of his time.
A video of a short drive - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeE0G13y9bk
The pictures below are courtesy of a talented friend, Stuart Bonnell. I hope you will enjoy.
Edited by stefan1 on Friday 3rd February 19:37
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