Spyder RS
The Holmes Spyder RS is a stunning
tribute to the extremely successful Porsche Spyder 550 which was
campaigned throughout the 1950's. This beautiful replica retains
the original low weight good balance concept whilst taking advantage of
all the technological advances made since the Porsche 550 Spyder ceased
production.
The Holmes Spyder RS has been designed purely as
a road legal racing car and therefore complies with the same safety and
emissions legislation that governs the all new low volume production
sports cars.
The Holmes Spyder RS although still in the
early stages of development is already proving itself to be a phenomenal
motor car. Some of this early success can be put down to the
excellent power to weight ratio which makes the car fast and responsive
but this alone does not ensure a good car. There are many low
volume specialist trackday and performance road cars available today
with good power to weight ratio, they look great on paper but in reality
many can be quite unpredictable machines even in the hands of the most
skilled driver.
Holmes Motor company have spent a lot of time and money taking care to
make this car potentially the best all round retro racer the market has
seen. Attention to detail and some ingenuity throughout the design
and development stages has resulted in exceptional torsional rigidity in
the chassis/body unit. This high strength gives an excellent basis
for mounting the computer designed double wishbone suspension ensuring
none of the geometry will change due to chassis flex. Couple all
this with perfect 50/50 weight distribution with the driver seated and
unique steering system you will see how the Holmes Spyder RS really
harnesses 350bhp/ton power to weight ratio advantage.
Please check back soon for details of the
British release date.
Spyder RS technical
specification
Specification quoted is standard to the Spyder RS
upgrades are available in the options
list.
Configuration
Mid engine, rear wheel drive.
Fuel tank centrally mounted in front of drivers compartment to
give near perfect 50/50 weight distribution when driver is seated.
Engine
Specialist hand assembled turbocharged 2332cc.
The engine is based around the the same type as the
original Porsche Spyder 550, a boxer configuration four cylinder
air-cooled design. This offers low centre of gravity for superior
handling, very low weight and extremely good power and torque outputs.
The unit is assembled around a highly strengthened and modified Volkswagen
AS41 super crank case made of the extremely light weight magnesium alloy
and built up from specialist components all of which are race proven for
reliability and power. The engine is then fully balanced to ensure
free revving smooth power delivery. To ensure the drivability and
smooth power delivery of the normally aspirated engine is retained
Holmes motor company has designed an electronically controlled turbo
system that is bespoke to the Spyder RS. To meet the Emission
regulations distributorless electronic ignition and electronic fuel
injection, utilising individual throttle bodies, are used to enable us
to fit catalytic converters all of which is controlled by an Omex Engine
management system, rev limit is set at 7000rpm. This engine is
coupled to the extremely reliable and race proven Audi A4 5speed
Transaxle.
Suspension
The suspension has been
developed using the latest computer aided design programmes. This allows
our designer to view in detail exactly what the wheels are doing under
all conditions.
Front-Independent unequal
length double wishbone system. Bespoke uprights. Aluminium
fully adjustable coil over shock absorbers.
Rear-Independent unequal length double wishbone system. Bespoke
uprights. Aluminium fully adjustable coil over shock absorbers.
Braking system
Split dual circuit
system.
Front-Large diameter fully vented disc brakes and large two piston callipers.
Rear-Large diameter fully vented disc brakes and large two piston
callipers.
Chassis and body
construction
The tooling for the body shell was made from an
original Porsche Spyder 550 sourced in the united states of America.
All Holmes Spyder 550 body shells are manufactured from these moulds
using a unique lamination process. First the mould is meticulously
sprayed with a 3mm layer of gel coat, after being fully hardened high
temperature resin is applied and the first layer of standard pre cut
fibre glass is put in place. Once the resin has been sufficiently
absorbed into the fibre glass all air and excess resin is removed using
our unique method, the laminate is then allowed to fully cure. The
next stage uses a specialist glass of a woven construction in the same
way as carbon fibre, this provides excellent rigidity in every direction
throughout the panel. Once again our unique method of expelling
air and excess resin is used, the finished item is left in the mould
until fully cured. The advantages gained by our lamination
process over other techniques is low weight, high strength, incredible
resistance to impact and the misshaping problems so many other
manufacturers experience later on in the cars life.
The bespoke replica chassis from the Holmes Spyder 550 is taken and
extensively modified to gain extra stiffness and further weight
reduction by use of modern design methods and ideas. This gives
the chassis a completely different look and feel to the original Porsche
item but is far superior for the application. The design is constructed from steel tube and
coated by a process employed by the aerospace industry. The
completed chassis is bonded and bolted to the fully cured body whilst
still in the mould. By doing this we ensure maximum torsional
rigidity and ensure no unnecessary stress is built into the body shell.
The body is finished in a colour of your choice in our new state of the
art paint booth.
Interior features
The trim is left to a minimum so
the interior of the Spyder RS
is painted in body colour for weight reduction whilst complimenting the
exposed chassis rails and bulkhead aperture. Leather bucket seats trimmed
in a period style offer all the support needed without cramping your
body. The instrumentation features 3 replica dials with the
centrally situated rev counter lightly raised to give a clear view of
engine status at all times.
Performance
statistics
0-62mph.
4.5 seconds
Top speed.
140mph
Maximum power.
210bhp @ 6700rpm
Weight.
600kg
Power to weight ratio.
350bhp per 1000kg
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