The Hulme F1 - Kiwi Supercar

Giles3 · Mar 23, 2005

Whats your opinion on the New Zeland supercar? Just unvealed on the News...
Pictures should be available soon. I personally think the design could be better....

A car built in New Zealand to rival Ferraris and Porsches will be unveiled in Wellington next week.

The Hulme F1 named after Kiwi Denny Hulme, world champion in 1967 is designed to give the driver the feel of driving a Formula One car on the road, its backers say.

"It will rival or, we believe, better the other supercars of the world," Supercars Limited spokesman Mike Bitossi said from Auckland yesterday. "We know the design is quite remarkable."

The company was inspired by the successes Hulme achieved, Mr Bitossi said. As well as his victories in Formula One, Hulme won championships in the big CanAm sports car series driving cars designed by his compatriot and friend Bruce McLaren.

McLaren founded a race company that is still one of the world's best and has also produced a road-going supercar called F1.

The design of the Hulme road car has been co-ordinated by Associate Professor Tony Parker, head of the Industrial Design department at Massey University. "New Zealand has established a reputation for building the best yachts in the world. I believe we also have the technical capabilities and the industrial infrastructure to create a quality, hand-built performance car."

His creation will be launched at the university's Wellington campus on Wednesday next week. The carbon-fibre body will be powered by a modified BMW M5 V8 engine, putting out 450 horsepower with an estimated top speed in excess of 300kmh. It is expected to cost up to $600,000. Production is due to start next year, with a minimum of 500 to be built.
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Supercar dream to become reality

Tony Parker has a dream. He has been working on it since he was five years old. His dream is to design and build a supercar in New Zealand.

An Associate Professor in Industrial Design in the College of Design, Fine Arts and Music, Mr Parker is chief designer in a consortium which this month unveiled plans for the supercar.

New Zealand has established a reputation for building the best yachts in the world. I believe we also have the technical capability and industrial infrastructure to create a quality, hand-built performance car, he says.

Named the Hulme F1, the car draws on the racing legacy of New Zealander Denis Hulme, who won the Formula One World Drivers Championship in 1967. We want to create a brand based on the glamorous world of F1 racing and the reputation New Zealanders have earned for building quality products, says Mr Parker.

He describes his role as conceptualiser and designer. He sketched up a series of supercar designs before settling on the F1 look, complete with air box, sidepods and open wheels. We are creating the illusion that you are driving a F1 car on the road.

Mr Parkers next task will be what he calls human factors. This means fitting the car to the driver and passenger designing the seats, controls and interior. No easy task when the car sits just 1050 mm above the ground. (In comparison, a Toyota Corolla is 1500 mm high.)

Albany-based technician Peter Skerton also has his hands all over the supercar. His task has been to build a quarter-scale model from Parkers drawings.

First I make an armature from polystyrene. Then I heat some clay to 60 degrees and slap it on the armature. Using clay-modelling tools, I sculpt the shape according to Tonys designs.

Mr Skerton says that even in the age of CADCAM and high-tech engineering machinery, clay is still used to model car designs. Its a great material to work with. You can work quickly, and its easy to tweak as the design is adjusted.

The Hulme F1 has been planned amid tight security over the past two years. A prototype is expected to be running as early as June this year. Many of the technical details remain secret as they are commercially sensitive. But managers of the project say they have an agreement with a major manufacturer to use a high performance engine.

Forty years ago New Zealand was a driving force in international motor racing, says Supercars New Zealand Limited spokesman Jock Freemantle. We had three New Zealanders, Bruce McLaren, Denis Hulme and Chris Amon in top F1 teams, and the McLarens were dominating American CanAm sports car racing.

Much of the automotive engineering talent and knowledge was exported and lost to New Zealand in the 1960s and 1970s. We want to restore New Zealand to its rightful place in the automotive world, says Mr Fremantle.

Mr Parker says that is part of the reason he is so keen on the project. Like Peter Jackson, he wants to keep New Zealand talent at home. The plan is that a percentage of profits from the supercar venture will fund research opportunities for Massey design graduates.

Supercars New Zealand Limited plans to build two cars this year, 10 to 20 cars in 2005 and after that 35-50 cars. A minimum of 150 cars will be built in total.

And how will the Hulme F1 perform? Like a rocket. With a mass of around 1200kg and an engine supplying 400 kilowatts, a top speed of over 300 km/h is expected.
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Giles3 · Mar 23, 2005

More info here http://www.supercarsnz.com
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Willis360 · Mar 23, 2005

Looks like an Enzo with cycle fenders.

shiggins · Mar 23, 2005

I actually really like the idea of this car, thought the price seems a bit steep. The form follows function design is also appealing, science is a beautiful thing. I can't wait to see if it lives up to its hype.

teak360 · Mar 23, 2005

I'll believe it when I see it. If it does come to life it will be similar to the Cizetta and Saleen in sales figures. Meaning next to nothing.
I am happy that people do these things though.

Giles3 · Mar 26, 2005

Snapped some pictures of it today.....
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teak360 · Mar 26, 2005

Giles3 said:

Snapped some pictures of it today.....
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Kind of looks like somebody took a hachet to an Enzo.

rifter · Mar 26, 2005

ugly

F1racer · Mar 29, 2005

I like it!

Here's a video
http://tvnz.co.nz/cda/tvnz/video_popup_windows_skin/481224?bandwidth=128k

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