Manufacturer SRT Body style 2-door coupé | Designer Paul Hoste Layout M4 layout | |
Class Concept car (as of 2015) Engine 7.0L naturally-aspirated 144-degree V10 | ||
The SRT Tomahawk is a fictional concept car created by Street & Racing Technology, a sub-division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. It was developed as part of the Vision Gran Turismo project, which finds real-life auto-makers partnering with video game developer Polyphony Digital to create car models for their Gran Turismo driving simulation series. The vehicles was released as downloadable content to Gran Turismo 6 in 2015. The car's advanced design makes it impossible to functionally create with 2015 technology, though the companies have discussed creating it decades in the future, when technology has caught up with the car's design.
Contents
History and development
The SRT Tomahawk was teased in late May 2015, and fully revealed it a week later in June 2015. A concept car developed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the vehicle was created digitally for the video game Gran Turismo 6. A smaller-scale model of the vehicle was created by Fiat Chrysler, but not as a fully functioning vehicle, The vehicle was designed more as a conceptual "preview of what supercars could look like it 20 years", with the vehicle's makeup being deemed impossible with 2015 technology, but estimated that technology could advance to the point of plausibility closer to the year 2035. The car's makeup and power was so exaggerated compared to current automobiles, that even the virtual physics engine in Gran Turismo 6 needed to be reworked to allow the car to function in the in-game world. Additionally, it was purported that, were the car ever developed in real life, a G-suit would be necessary to withstand the force of acceleration in driving the car. Three models of the vehicle were created: the "Tomahawk S", the "Tomahawk GTS-R", and the "Tomahawk X". The three variants were created because the game designers felt that even in virtual world, the specs were too high, leading to it not being enjoyable to use as a vehicle in the game, leading the team to create the two weaker variants. The Tomahawk S variant was featured in June 2016 as a RC-scale model in Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo Sport unveiling event in the Copper Box Arena in Hackney Wick, London, England along with nine other full-size and RC-scale model Vision GT vehicles.
Vehicle data and models
The Tomahawk is powered by a 7.0L naturally aspirated 144-degree V10, capable of producing up to 2,164 horsepower (1,614 kW; 2,194 PS). This output is controlled for the three models in the Tomahawk series. There is a pneumatic hybrid system, which is regenerative, and has a high capacity storage. It stores compressed air, and when used, the compressed air becomes a drive force. Like the engine, the power output is controlled for all three models. The engine delivers power to the rear wheels and the pneumatic hybrid system delivers power to the front via a 7-speed paddle shift transmission. Together, the engine and system make the car all-wheel-drive. Five exhaust pipes deliver all of the continuously increasing fumes of the engine out of the car.
The body is shaped with a continuous flow to decrease the coefficient of drag. It also uses a material called graphene lattice, a type of carbon that is reported to be stronger than steel, and lighter than carbon-fiber. The chassis includes a structural spine that extends throughout the car, most likely to steady the car in high speed. The light components, both front and rear, consist of plasma lights.
Tomahawk S
The Tomahawk S is the entry-level variant that has all the capabilities of the concept itself in a street-legal form. The "S" part of the name means "Street". The 7.0L V10 is set to 791 horsepower (590 kW; 802 PS) and 501 pound-feet (679 N·m) of torque. Along with the pneumatic system, which in this case produces 215 horsepower, the total amount is set at 1,007 horsepower (751 kW; 1,021 PS). Since the vehicle is meant to be street legal, the weight is set at 921 kg (2,030 lbs), but also enough to give the car a total power-to-weight ratio of 1,092 horsepower per ton. All of the power is sent to the rear wheels, and the pneumatic system driving the front wheels, therefore making it an all-wheel-drive car. The vehicle is also equipped with active aerodynamics, located at the front splitter and an integrated rear spoiler.
Tomahawk GTS-R
The Tomahawk GTS-R is a concept racing version based off the S variant, built to withstand extreme g-forces when cornering and make very quick lap times. The V10 engine is now set at 1,136 horsepower (847 kW; 1,152 PS) and 719 pound-feet (975 N·m) of torque, in which along with the pneumatic system, now set at 313 horsepower, pushes a total of 1,450 horsepower (1,080 kW; 1,470 PS). Weight has also been drastically reduced, at 663 kg (1,462 lbs) which means the power-to-weight ratio is at 2,185 horsepower per ton. As mentioned before, the vehicle is built to withstand extreme g-forces, which means downforce has been extensively upgraded for racing. The integrated spoiler now lifts, and is also found in a two-element build. Other than that, the rest of the design stays the same.
However, in Gran Turismo Sport, all of these specifications change. There are now four front graphene canards, a FIA-based rear fin, and a large external wing. Also, when seen driving around a track, the performance will be found to be on par with a normal LMP1 prototype race car.
Tomahawk X
The Tomahawk X is the final variant of the Tomahawk, built to do seriously high top speeds with no problems. The "X" part of the name means "Experimental". The V10 engine is set at 2,168 horsepower (1,617 kW; 2,198 PS) and 898 pound-feet (1,218 N·m) of torque, and along with the pneumatic system, set at 422 horsepower, gives for a total of 2,590 horsepower (1,930 kW; 2,630 PS). The weight has increased from the GTS-R at 749 kg (1,651 lb), mostly due to the fact the car has extra aerodynamic parts. With all of these specifications, this gives for an extreme power-to-weight ratio of 3,452 horsepower per ton. The vehicle's body now has new aerodynamic parts. There are nine integrated independent panels that act as air-brakes and aerodynamic spoilers. The wing is still a two-element.
Reception
In Top Gear's overview of the car, editor Vijay Pattni stated that the prospect of such a car was a "lofty claim" of what technology would ever be like in 20 years from now, and that it's impracticality would "test the limits of human physiology". Similarly, Chris Perkins of Mashable felt that such a vehicle was unlikely to every materialize, but still found the hypothetical idea enjoyable to explore. AutoWeek concurred, concluding that one would have to "suspend their disbelief" when reviewing the car's parameters, noting that such a car would require "an infinite budget" and that "It’s more fun to pretend that the SRT Tomahawk is real. Or that it could be real." They also noted that the car did not perform particularly well in the Gran Turismo 6 virtual world either, with its specs making it difficult to handle.