Once you have had a taste of real motorsport, you know that anything less just won’t do. That’s why you want to build your own speedway car – to have a piece of modern motorsport technology in your garage and on your racetrack.
With the world’s fastest sports cars, Formula 1, and even NASCAR all competing for your entertainment, you know that you can’t just settle for regular rides any more. You need something that will excite the crowds and make them forget about the rush-hour congestion on their way to work. Plus, once you have built your own speedway car, there are endless possibilities for further customizing and improving your ride.
So let’s get started.
The Overall Design
While you don’t have to adhere to any strict style guide when designing your speedway car, there are still a few tips and tricks you should keep in mind. First, everything must be in proportion to each other and fit together well. Second, keep the weight as close to the minimum as possible – after all, your car will be traveling at high speeds and much more efficiently thanks to the lighter weight. Third, you should try and keep the number of panels used in the construction as small as possible. For example, using large amounts of fiberglass for bodywork could help improve the car’s aerodynamics. Finally, make sure that your speedway car has excellent brake handling prowess. You don’t want to rush into any braking maneuvers just because you can – good braking control is what will keep you safe and allow you to maintain high speeds consistently.
The Interior
Your car’s interior can be just as exciting as its exterior, so you want to keep that in mind when designing it. You definitely don’t want to go for a traditional car interior, especially when you are competing against the clock as much as possible. Instead, go for something more futuristic. For example, it could have all of the controls on the steering wheel, or the seats could be covered in a synthetic fabric that reacts electronically to temperature changes.
The Exterior
Your speedway car’s exterior is of paramount importance, especially if you want others to take you seriously as a driver. That’s why you want to go for a design that will catch the attention of the crowd, whether it’s on the street or at a track. When other drivers see your car, they will not only be attracted to it, but they may even think that you are a better driver than you actually are – after all, cars are typically associated with more experienced drivers.
As was mentioned previously, your speedway car’s exterior is important, so take your time when choosing the paint scheme and don’t rush into choosing a design that may end up looking tacky. You can, however, still keep it relatively traditional by using red, white, and blue as your basic color palette – after all, those are the colors of royalty and national pride! Just make sure that everything fits together well and is in proportion to each other.
Material Choices
Depending on what type of motor you are running as a base, you will need to choose your vehicle’s material wisely. For instance, if you are using a V6 engine, you will need to go for lightweight materials such as plastic, fiberglass, or wood. If your engine is from the early 1900s, like many vintage engines, then you will need to choose heavy materials such as metal and wood to keep the weight down.
Powertrain
Your car’s powertrain is the part that actually generates the power to move you around. This could be anything from a conventional engine to a battery-powered electric motor. As with most other areas of the car, you want to keep the weight of the powertrain as low as possible while still adhering to the desired performance level – after all, a heavier powertrain will not only increase the car’s inertia, but it may even cause the engine to struggle at high speeds. Too much weight in the powertrain and it will affect your performance in an adverse manner. If you don’t have the skills to properly tune and maintain your engine, then it may be best to choose an outboard motor instead.
Suspension & Chassis
Your car’s suspension, or the system that allows you to adjust the car’s driving dynamics, is another critical area that you need to pay attention to. You want to be able to set the same suspension in both manual and automatic modes so that you can easily shift between them – this will save you both time and hassle once you are driving on the track. If you are competing on a professional level, then it may even be worth it to upgrade your suspension to a double-d Suspension system simply to have the advantages that it offers!
As for the chassis, or the structure that the engine, transmission, and other mechanical parts are mounted on, you want to go for a construction that is both light and strong. Once you have had a taste of real motorsport, you will understand what I mean when I say that strength and speed are the best allies – the stronger your car, the faster it will be on its way to the checkered flag!
Brakes & Handling
Last but not least, we have brakes and handling. A lot of cars have a habit of either breaking down or malfunctioning at high speeds – this is especially the case with older models that were not built with the same quality as modern cars, but you don’t need to be afraid to use them. In fact, many professional race cars are still being driven today simply because they work so well and don’t require constant repairs.
As previously stated, your car’s brakes are of paramount importance, so take the time to choose the right material for the job and ensure that they work well together. You don’t want to rush into choosing a design that may end up looking tacky once the paint is worn off, so take your time and go for a classy look that will make other drivers jealous!
Your car’s handling, or how the car responds to changes made by the driver, is also important to consider. There are many factors that may affect the car’s handling, such as the size of the wheels and tires, the weight of the vehicle, and whether or not the suspension is in its optimum setting. If you want your speedway car to handle well, then make sure that all of these elements are taken into account and adjusted to the optimum levels – if not, you will simply have a slow, underpowered vehicle.
To put all of this into practice, let’s walk through the steps to create a simple yet effective design for a custom-made speedway car.
Step One: Design Brief
As with any other design project, the first step is to create a brief detailing what you need. The brief should contain all of the necessary information about the car including its measurements, the equipment that it will need to run (e.g., engine, transmission, etc.), the color and style of the exterior, and the interior. In addition, you should include any additional information that you deem relevant – for example, if you are using a V6 engine, then you may want to include the suggested horsepower range.]
Step Two: Set Aims
Once you have your brief, you can set your aims. These are the general areas that you want to focus on in order to make your car perfect. For example, you may want to focus on reducing the weight of the vehicle or increasing its acceleration – the best way to do this may be to choose lighter materials for the construction or to upgrade the suspension and brakes. If the aim is to improve the car’s overall look, then you may want to consider adding plastic bodywork, interior trim, or other decorative finishes. Setting aims for a more professional level may require a complete redesign of the car’s exterior and interior – in other words, you need to have the skills to properly carry out the design work. In this case, the aim might be to completely reconstruct the car and add all of the desired components. Once you have set your aims, it’s time to move on to the next step.