Exoskeleton car
Encyclopedia
An Exoskeleton car has a visible external frame, being made of steel
or carbon fiber
tubes. The simplistic construction of the vehicle follows Colin Chapman
's philosophy of maximising the power-to-weight ratio
by minimising weight rather than simply adding power. Early monocoque
racing cars such as the Lotus 25
had their chassis
exposed but the term exoskeletal is more usually reserved for vehicles with an exposed spaceframe, such as sandrail
s, dune buggies or specialized light weight track cars.
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
or carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
tubes. The simplistic construction of the vehicle follows Colin Chapman
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
's philosophy of maximising the power-to-weight ratio
Power-to-weight ratio
Power-to-weight ratio is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement of actual performance of any engine or power sources...
by minimising weight rather than simply adding power. Early monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
racing cars such as the Lotus 25
Lotus 25
The Lotus 25 was a racing car designed by Colin Chapman for the 1962 Formula One season. It was a revolutionary design, the first fully stressed monocoque chassis to appear in F1...
had their chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
exposed but the term exoskeletal is more usually reserved for vehicles with an exposed spaceframe, such as sandrail
Sandrail
A sandrail, or sand rail, or sandcar, or "rail" is a lightweight motor vehicle specifically built for traveling across a wide variety of off-road terrain. Sandrails are popularly operated on actual sand dunes, such as Glamis, Pismo and Rasor in California, St...
s, dune buggies or specialized light weight track cars.
Examples of exoskeleton cars
- Ariel AtomAriel AtomThe Ariel Atom is a high performance sports car made by the Ariel Motor Company based in Somerset, England and under licence in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc. at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia....
- Deronda Type FDeronda Type FThe Deronda Type F is an extreme performance, road going, track day car. It has been designed and developed by professional motorsport engineers and utilises racing car technology....
- Deronda Type G
- Rinspeed eXasis
- KTM X-BowKTM X-BowThe KTM X-Bow is the first car to be developed by Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM, in partnership with Kiska Design, Audi, and Dallara. The X-Bow uses a turbocharged direct injected TFSI engine manufactured by Volkswagen Group, which produces at 5500 rpm and of torque between 2000 and...
- Kirkham Motorsports-Rush
- Race Car Replicas -Superlite Roadster
- SDR-VSTORM
- MEV Rocket, Atomic, tR1ke, Missile, Eco-Exo and ExocetMEV Rocket, Atomic, tR1ke, Missile, Eco-Exo and ExocetThe MEV Rocket was the first exoskeletal kit car, exoskeleton car to be produced. It was launched in 2007 by MEV Ltd. U.K...