mre1974

I know this isn't C5 related but any techno geek can appreciate the technology that goes into the P1 and the execution and the finished product that is released. Wasn't sure where to post it but figured some of the other members that frequent here would appreciate this. One can only imagine what GM could come up with if they let a "skunk works" group of engineers have at it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb8tGX-HPQE#t=45

El original

They probably would come up with a C7 Stingray for much less$$$$ And one doesn't have to wear their superhero cape and mask to drive it.

mre1974

The hybrid drive and gas engine turbo combination is quite intriguing...especially since they claim that it effectively eliminated the feeling of the turbo lag and allowed for smooth linear power delivery. I have no doubt that the price point that the GM engineers could make a "realistically marketable and salable" car would be less than the P1. I was just having a techno nerd moment and thought it was worth sharing and potentially discussing.

Lee DeRaud

One can only hope it doesn't sound like a current F1 car.

mre1974

Couldn't agree with you more...the current generation of F1 cars sound like flu-poo compared to the ones of old.

IRON MAIDEN

Love it. Wish my C5 could raise up to get in and out of tight areas and then hit a switch and drop into race mode! Shame GM doesn't have a division that builds without budget restraints or price points. Wish Ford was still building the GT (GT40).

CactusCat

Only $1.2mil for that little ride..... let's see, deduct the cost of my C5 and that leaves me $1.18mil to mod with. Wonder what I could come up with????

PhysicsDude55

Its certainly a cool concept. I'm always weary of these types of unique products, because they're probably usually unreliable and difficult to maintain.

Here's a similar concept that's being prototyped by Ford, a small turbocharged engine with an electronic supercharger than eliminates turbolag and is powered by an oversized alternator that charges up an array of supercapacitors, very economical and is really not too complicated.



Electric cars and electric assisted cars are the way of the future. If you ever get to drive one (like a Tesla), they're very cool. I love a rumbling V8 as much as anyone, but the instant effortless torque of an electric motor is awesome as well, and its quiet and simple.

Lee DeRaud

I'm still trying to figure out how they managed to make a 15KRPM turbo V6 sound like a V-twin pro-stock drag bike.

mre1974

In all honesty I still have a soft spot for the CART cars from the mid to late 90's. Those cars sounded like sexxxxxxx. I can still remember the sounds of them echoing off the buildings in Detroit from when I grew up. Different times...different technologies...memories of the past likely never to be heard or seen again in the future.

Black0ut

I'm not too sure about the unreliability part. This is 2014 after all. The era of the 80's hyper car is far behind us. And while it may be English (Insert midlands electrical joke here), I still hold that the English build some of the worlds best cars and have the best engineering.

Image if the next corvette got a similar hybrid power-train. Instead of using it to replace internal combustion- using it to refine it and make it better; truly make the two systems work together. Jeremy Clarkson's review of the car at Spa pretty much summed it up. There is no way performance like that would turn off future buyers- no matter how 'purist' you are.

I was once saddened by it's inevitability but am now looking forward to sports car hybrid tech.

Black 02

Absolutely nothing as cool as the P1, that is for sure.

Lee DeRaud

Oh yes, indeed. As much as I gripe about the sound of the new F1 cars and the relentless ugliness of their aero bits, the drivetrains are true marvels. The one killer feature of electric motors is that the max torque is at 0 RPM, the kind of bottom end that simply doesn't exist in an internal combustion engine, at least not in streetable form.
My only reservation is that that kind of power delivery in a high-performance street car really demands something controlling it that is a lot smarter and faster than the average driver's right foot: you won't be able to pick and choose what parts of the tech you want, you'll have to drink all the koolaid.