Unrivalled 1,000bhp/tonne ultra lightweight Freestream T1 to offer the nearest experience yet to a Formula One racecar


Freestream cars has issued the following press release:

Two engineers who were part of the elite team that designed and developed the iconic McLaren F1 have set up an automotive engineering consultancy whose first project is an agile 1,000bhp/tonne sportscar, dubbed the Freestream T1. Developed for road and track, the ultra lightweight 2-seater will offer a near Formula One performance experience comparable to that of a Le Mans prototype with highly resolved aerodynamics and chassis making the vehicle predictably safe and responsive to driver inputs.

Following a year of design and development, founders Ben Scott-Geddes and Graham Halstead expect to launch the £150,000 car later this year. Interest has already been expressed by half a dozen customers privileged to preview the project and keen to join what will be an exclusive club since the company will only make 25 cars a year for the entire planet. With the first prototype nearing completion the two engineers have moved into brand-new premises that form part of a new automotive business park located at Farnham in Surrey.

Commenting on the inspiration for the Freestream T1 Ben Scott-Geddes said: "We wanted to demonstrate our ability to design from scratch a no-compromise but usable and reliable sports car with the whole vehicle meticulously engineered from the ground up, so as to offer customers a truly unique experience with a full aerodynamic performance package which at present can only be found in a high formula racecar."

Commenting on the critical wind-tunnel testing co-founder Graham Halstead added: "As well as offering a unique racecar performance experience we were equally concerned to make the car as safe as possible. The result is an extremely stable aerodynamic platform to complement its feather weight of 465kg and compact powertrain which delivers 480bhp from a bespoke 2.4-litre V8 F1-specification engine. The driver and passenger will experience extremely rapid acceleration as well as 3g cornering and braking performance."

"Our aim is to move the performance envelope up to current sports-prototype levels thereby setting a new benchmark for a road car exemplified by its agility and handling abilities," said Scott-Geddes. "We’ve spoken to enthusiastic owners who have become frustrated and bored with their regular sports and race cars, whose potential is heavily restricted through constrained engineering and race formula regulations. In that respect we’ve torn up the rule book to give customers what they ultimately desire: a road car with an uncompromised yet safe performance experience."

Further details will be announced closer to the launch. Meanwhile, the company is keeping the Freestream T1 specifications under wraps but has prepared an introductory website at www.freestreamcars.com outlining the car’s performance potential .

enzo meets Calista Flockhart

i got excited when i read the title and thought it was going to be a cheap home-user T1 internet connection. im such an nerd.

i got excited when i read the title and thought it was going to be a cheap home-user T1 internet connection. im such an nerd.

$262,000 USD
$302,000 CAN

Holy shit, they don't even have real pics of the car but they have specs and a price for it? O_O I think it's time to get out the foil hats again

Cyclone: I'm just curious. Were you ever abducted by aliens? That would explain a lot.

Too much free time?

He has no free time. The aliens are too busy probing him.

Uh..... huh. Sounds scary and wtf... anything seems road legal in England. I wanna move there.

Along with these amazing photo-realistic images of the Freestream T1 and its details, designers and co-founders Ben Scott-Geddes and Graham Halstead have provided more insight into the thinking behind the design of this extraordinary, road-legal F1 car -- see link below for Tuesday's full story.

They said that the car couldn’t be further removed from the ‘no expense spared, high technology approach’ that might be imagined. Indeed the same key issues facing mainstream car designers – such as active and passive safety, vehicle performance as well as weight, complexity and cost – were all addressed at a fundamental level when the Freestream T1 was conceived and was a primary inspiration for the car.

"To demonstrate our understanding of these fundamental vehicle engineering issues we set out to design an optimum package for delivering 1,000bhp-per-tonne," said Scott-Geddes. "Interestingly, the sweet spot on the curve that satisfies many of these issues is 500 horsepower in a vehicle with a mass of 500Kg."

"You can deliver higher engine outputs up to 1,000bhp and beyond," said Halstead, "but that means more weight, which adds significant cost and complexity to the car. Conversely, a 300bhp-per-300Kg approach can severely compromise crash worthiness because of insufficient structural mass. An extremely lightweight approach can cause costs to spiral through the use of exotic materials. And less horsepower means a restricted top speed and aerodynamic performance."

"Having arrived at the optimum power-to-weight ratio a major engineering challenge was to design a powertrain of around 100kg; without which it would have been impossible to meet our overall vehicle design requirements," says Scott-Geddes.

Halstead and Scott-Geddes formed part of the small engineering team that worked on the McLaren F1 and Mercedes-McLaren SLR. In terms of sheer vehicle performance their vision for the Freestream T1 was an ultra-lightweight car capable of reaching 100mph in five seconds, with a top speed exceeding 200mph depending on the adjustable aerodynamic set-up, with enough downforce to corner at more than 3g – about the same as a Le Mans prototype – and the ability to stop on the proverbial sixpence.

However, in terms of addressing fundamental automotive industry issues – such as safety and CO2 emissions for example – the car will showcase the consultancy’s core credentials. "Concept vehicles are ten-a-penny and this is more than a one-off prototype," said Scott-Geddes. "The only way to truly convince car makers that we have the experience and skills to design and engineer a safe, reliable, cost-efficient albeit high-performance car is to actually design and build one. We then have something to discuss."

"In addition, there is a global market for an exclusive ultra-high performance track car that can also be used on the road; so in effect we’ve found an exciting way of funding our demonstrator," said Halstead. "Customers for the car will either be private individuals with a passion for high performance sports cars or corporate clients requiring an affordable yet prestigious track car for the fast growing market of hospitality race experience events. Meanwhile, we look forward to working closely with automotive clients to help tackle their design engineering issues."
Hardware

The Freestream T1 powertrain comprises a bespoke 2.4-litre supercharged V8 aluminium engine with a mass of approximately 85kg. Similarly, the six-speed sequential transmission with magnesium casing is a bespoke design with a mass of approximately 30kg. The carbon/aluminium honeycomb monocoque features a separate composite crash structure at the front, while the rear sub-frame specifies aerospace grade steel. The non carbon-fibre steel suspension, for example, illustrates the company’s ability to specify structural materials that can deliver the maximum performance at the lowest possible cost.

Overall, said the company, the £150,000 price tag underlines the company’s ability to design and build an exclusive car at a relatively low price despite its ultra high performance.

i got excited when i read the title and thought it was going to be a cheap home-user T1 internet connection. im such an nerd.