Westfield GTM article on Autocar website
Discussion
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/anything-goes/w...
The interesting bit of this article for me is about GTM. It looks like the Libra may be coming back with power options of 252bhp Ford Ecoboost, EV, or rotary engine hybrid. I say may be, apparently it's a steel spaceframe chassis, not a GRP tub as the Libra was, so the yellow Libra picture may be a red herring.
The interesting bit of this article for me is about GTM. It looks like the Libra may be coming back with power options of 252bhp Ford Ecoboost, EV, or rotary engine hybrid. I say may be, apparently it's a steel spaceframe chassis, not a GRP tub as the Libra was, so the yellow Libra picture may be a red herring.
Well, they certainly need to do something to diversify: if the figure quoted in that article is to be believed (and it squares with the rumours I'm hearing from suppliers), car production is now about 1/3 of what it used to be in the good old days...whereas Caterham has just announced another year of record production.
If the NVN joint funding of 'research' projects dries up as we withdraw from the EU, they'll be up s
t creek, for sure, unless they do something fast.
If the NVN joint funding of 'research' projects dries up as we withdraw from the EU, they'll be up s
t creek, for sure, unless they do something fast.
dom9 said:
That rotary engine sounds pretty cool too.
Almost certainly too expensive to be a realistic proposition, unfortunately, unless AIE get a serious grip on their pricing strategy.We made enquiries about the AIE 650S (ie. the non-hybrid, 120bhp version that Westfield have shown coupled to an MX5 gearbox). The price quoted for the engine alone was about what you'd expect to pay for a whole, factory built car from Westfield...
Most of the current collaborative projects in the UK kit/specialist car industry are merely intended to grab NVN funding and have little realistic prospect of production.
I'd assume that scale would bring that price down dramatically... or throwing the drawings at China, though perhaps a rotary isn't the right type of engine for that treatment with the seal sensitivity etc.
Will be interested to see the new Libra with the spaceframe chassis. Will it be a viable alternative to the Elise, despite losing its MO of the composite chassis?
Will be interested to see the new Libra with the spaceframe chassis. Will it be a viable alternative to the Elise, despite losing its MO of the composite chassis?
I wonder if the MG TF front and rear subframes (like Speed3Automotive are using) would have been a good alternative, had they continued producing the Libra.
If they're going away from the K-Series, as it sounds like they are, which is a good idea, then I guess they may just go bespoke.
Doesn't the RX8 use double wishbones? Always wondered whether someone could get those to work with a different layout car ie change the geometry a bit.
If they're going away from the K-Series, as it sounds like they are, which is a good idea, then I guess they may just go bespoke.
Doesn't the RX8 use double wishbones? Always wondered whether someone could get those to work with a different layout car ie change the geometry a bit.
dom9 said:
I'd assume that scale would bring that price down dramatically...
It would, of course. But then we're talking about it being an optional powerplant for a company that is only building 150 cars per year, at present. You get into the chicken-and-egg situation that the price won't come down until volume sales are made, and volume sales won't be made until the price comes down (dramatically). It would take a major manufacturer committing the investment to build the engine in large volume: a company like Westfield effectively offering its 'own' engine (the AIE engine is made in small numbers for the aerospace market, but has no other volume automotive users) is never going to be economically viable.
Given Westfield's current reputation for parts supply (exacerbated, rumour has it, by suppliers being reluctant to supply unless they are paid up front, due to slow payment issues), how lucky would you feel about, say, being able to obtain new rotor tip seals in 5 years' time?
dom9 said:
Will be interested to see the new Libra with the spaceframe chassis. Will it be a viable alternative to the Elise, despite losing its MO of the composite chassis?
It will, indeed. I can understand them not wanting to continue with the dreadfully labour-intensive GRP monocoque, but It would have been nice to see an application of the recent Westfield/Axon carbon fibre panelised spaceframe.I'd be happy to be proved wrong, but it's looking like that was again just another tool for extracting Government funding to prop up the company in the face of flagging car sales, though.
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