Exocet XP-3

Transformer?

So how scary was an exocar on the Alpharetta Autobahn?

In reply to ultraclyde:

South of 285, GA-400 was pretty awesome, but holy perimeter traffic, Batman. I will say I got a lot of attention while crawling along in first gear. A guy in a new CTS-V was playin' with me in the next lane, it was no contest on who had the faster ride.

I'll definitely say my previous opinions on XP-3 are no longer valid. In a dusty, slightly gravel-y business park, the car felt a lot scarier. On clear roads, even on cycled-out Hoosier bricks, it's a Bob Costascat. Objectively, it's really, really fast, but the grip is fantastic and makes the car very controllable and feel slower than it really is. I did a gentle 0-60 run with a synchro-coddling shift, and according to the Go-Pro, it was just under 4 seconds. I probably spent 700-800 milliseconds on the shift, and I didn't launch it hard. It's already faster than just about everything out there, but unfortunately I've caught the bug. Now I definitely see the case for a V-8.

Warren v wrote: it's a Bob Costascat

I can totally see myself saying this IRL.

Warren - STOP SELLING ME ON THIS CAR. My life is already too complicated as it is!

nderwater wrote:

Warren v wrote: it's a Bob Costascat

I can totally see myself saying this IRL.

I caught myself as I about said the word berkeley the other day to a buddy. I let the actual word berkeley out the other day, and my brother looked at me funny...

My brain no longer sees the string "E36 M3" in other contexts. This makes reading Jalopnik and car sub-reddits confusing

Warren v wrote: My brain no longer sees the string "E36 M3" in other contexts. This makes reading Jalopnik and car sub-reddits confusing

Well, reading Jacrapnik will lead to confusion anyway.... ;)

Had to take some pictures before we put it on the skid:

Perhaps one day the Sherbert Twins will reunite...

Also, fun development today: Lincoln Electric's motorsports division is sponsoring us with a brand new Power MIG 256! How cool is that?

Fun day today. Sent away FM's Exocet.

The first planned LSXocet is currently on the jig table, so there's that. We also drove XP-3 over to the fine folks at DIYAutoTune for a little dyno action. The Dynapack is one hell of a machine. Constant closed-loop variable loading is so incredibly sexy, especially when it works so well.

We ended up making exactly what you want out of an unopened 150k mile Miata engine: 252whp. We played around with the MBC to get some odd dips out of the system and ended up getting a nice flat torque curve on our 93 octane Georgia gas. The car pulls consistently now from 3k rpm all the way to redline. Ben is a wizard, even with a competitor's ECU. Still haven't had time to play with the Hydra's goodies, like launch control, anti-lag, and no-lift-shift, but it'll happen.

XP-3 is an excellent commuter vehicle by the way. You never have to worry about your hair.

If you Atlanta peoples want to see XP-3, I'll be bringing her to Caffeine and Octane this Sunday. http://www.caffeineandoctane.com/

If you want to join us for coffee and a bite beforehand, we meet at the Roswell IHOP at 5:15am. Open invitation to all y'all.

Roswell IHOP 10686 Alpharetta Highway Roswell, GA 30076

On a more practical note, how much of a problem was road debris, i.e. rocks and shrapnel to the face when driving XP-3 down the highway? And would front fenders help in that regard?

Obviously, you don't have a pebble embedded in your forehead from the ExoHair glamour shot, but I wonder if driving it on the street should be a full-faced helmet kinda deal.

I used to be a full-face-mandatory participant, but debris only gets picked up and tossed at you when travelling at very low speeds and large steering angles. Bugs are my only concern at speed now. I've been driving XP-3 a lot, and only the first time was with a helmet. The helmet reduces situational awareness, and in my case, resonates at the same frequency as the resonator. XP-3 could definitely use a muffler.

The past few days have been sunglasses and earplugs. Bugs to the face feel like little water droplets (eww). The wind doesn't get uncomfortable until 100mph+ (which happens very, very quickly). The fenders are way too high up to help block debris. You would need mudflaps.

Side note: the UK-built Exocets I've driven before had a speed multiplying effect. The wind and atmosphere made everything seem 1.5x faster than reality, and it was awesome. For some reason, XP-3 is the opposite. 20-80mph is way too effortless and undramatic. I think it's the handling and braking limits. I haven't even approached them yet. The car makes me feel like I'm wrapped up in the cocoon of a predictable performance envelope.

Took my brother to school in XP-3 this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d79xuTrCI0s

...you have no idea...

In reply to Warren v:

Please stop posting stuff like this. Its getting almost painful thinking about how much I want one. Almost more than a Cobra Daytona replica or a GT-40 replica and that is tantamount to heresy in my book.

add me to the "too much want" camp.

warren, you're like that busty cheerleader at the basketball game smooshin her cleavage in the direction of the nerds at the top of the bleachers.

Add me to that camp.

I am dreaming of doing one, alas, I need to get out of the "living in an apartment" phase of my life.

Warren v wrote: The first planned LSXocet is currently on the jig table, so there's that.

This. I want this.

The idea of the LSx Exocet cannot be shaken. Most people would think that a 1000 lb weight loss would be pretty good for performance. But everyone focuses on that big engine...

If you want one, we'll build you one. Of course, we also want you to pay for it If we both get what we want, everyone's happy!

I know it adds weight, but think this body would fit on that chassis?

I know where you can get one....

alfadriver wrote: I know it adds weight, but think this body would fit on that chassis? I know where you can get one....

That was my exact plan, but with a different body. I like the way you think.

To me the appeal of this car is its exocar weight and feel. I want a motorcycle with 4 wheels. If you wanted something along the lines of that then you should look into the bauerltd catfish.

In reply to Warren v:

That's awesome Warren!

thestig wrote: To me the appeal of this car is its exocar weight and feel. I want a motorcycle with 4 wheels. If you wanted something along the lines of that then you should look into the bauerltd catfish.

But I want a body of my choosing, I don't want a kit car body, either. I really like the engineering that went into the chassis. More than that, I love how we got to hear the details of that engineering.

I want a war machine-esque, dirty, gritty, bugs-in-yourteeth-while-youre-grinning-like-an-imbicile experience. Id probably put some kind of windscreen on it because danger, but aside from that, and fenders, the thing will be naked as a newborn.

I will build mine with a Meeotter powertrain to get it set up and driving, but also will figure out how to power it with a Nissan SR20VET, because vtack y0!!1

I am very interested in this kit. I'm also interested in incorporating some kind of windscreen? Maybe a rectangular hot rod style one to help push the wind over your head? Is there any legality issues that have come up with making this street legal? From what I've read it seems that it is still street legal since it registers as a miata. But what about when you go back in for a yearly inspection?