Working from a simple goal and a clean-sheet of paper design, the Elemental team produced a car that combines the best of technology, innovation and design.
Performance
| Max Speed | 175 mph |
| 0-60 mph | 2.7 sec |
| Downforce | Up to 1000 kg at 150 mph |
Dimensions
| Power output | Up to 400Bhp |
| Dry weight | 650kg |
| Width | 1775 mm |
| Track | 1544 mm |
| Length | 3740 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2525 mm |
| Height | 1070 mm |
| Ground clearance | 70-110 mm (adjustable) |
| Turning circle | 10.2m |
| Weight distribution | 46 / 54 |
“This thing is fast.
Properly fast. Properly, properly fast.
With the aero to match the Radicals and the like round the corners, but the power to leave even heavily boosted road cars on the straights, this thing is going to be absolutely devastating on a track day.”
Dan Trent
Pistonheads
Dynamics
Powertrain:
The RP-1 features a 2.3L Ford Ecoboost turbocharged engine, configured to output up to 400 bhp and 450 Nm of torque. It has a Mountune designed dry sump lubrication system and is mated to a semi stressed Hewland TMT 6 speed sequential gearbox.
The RP1 uses a Life Racing ECU with bespoke Elemental engine management. This controls the Ford Ecoboost DI engine and the gear shift actuation, and outputs all the relevant engine parameters to the Motec dash display and PDU over CAN. The ECU also stores the multiple Engine Maps that allow the driver to vary power, torque and traction control at the twist of a button.
Gear changes on the 6 Speed sequential Hewland TMT gearbox, are made by a paddle shift driven electro-pneumatic system. The key feature of this system is that whilst still a ‘manual’ system, it is controlled by the ECU. This protects the engine and gearbox from erroneous shifts, makes gear changes near-seamless (40ms), and eliminates clutch use once the car is moving.
Suspension:
Front – Subframe mounted, long arm, double wishbone with pushrods driving the inboard dual springs and dampers via a bulkhead mounted variable rate rocker.
Rear – F1-derived, gearbox mounted, long arm, aero profile double wishbone with direct acting dual springs and dampers.
Easy access both front and rear to ride height, damper response and toe, adjustment with simple tools and just one pair of hands.
Further adjustments allow optimum performance for road, track, or individual driver preference:
- Steer and Ackerman levels can be fine-tuned via shims in the steering system
- Front and rear camber can be adjusted both via shims and camber plate, thus isolating the true adjustment from camber adjustment
- Front caster can be adjusted through shims on the inboard bushes of the front wishbones
- Roll-centre front and rear can be adjusted via shims on the upright
Springs & Dampers:
Elemental-tuned Eibach springs and Nitron R1 Adjustable dampers.
Brakes:
Alcon four pot calipers on 25x304mm vented floating discs, front and rear.
Wheels & Tyres:
Toyo Proxes R888R 215/45ZR17 on 7×17 Pro Race wheels (fr).
Toyo Proxes R888R 245/40ZR18 on 9×18 Pro Race wheels (rr).
“What’s it like to drive?
Bloody marvellous, quite frankly. The first thing that hooks you is the driving position. You climb in, realise that your feet are pretty much at eye level and think; hmmm, this is different; this is, in fact, very much like a single-seater in its overall feel, but with a lot more elbow room and a lovely clean view forwards of the road ahead.”
Steve Sutcliffe
EVO
“Corners deliver the big revelation…
…pointing the nose toward the first apex reveals that the chassis is generating vastly more adhesion than you would expect…
…serious mechanical grip augmented by the hand of God as the diffuser sucks the RP-1 downward.”
Mike Duff
Car and Driver
