Quote Originally Posted by PhyrraM View Post
If the intent from early on was to use transverse motors, why would FFR choose the uniquely packaged Subaru as the base/donor vehicle? Civics, Eclipses, Camrys, Sentras, Focus, Cobalt, Fusion, Accord, Malibu, Sonata, (should I go on?), etc..... are more common than common sense and cheap(er) to boot.

I, personally, am drawn to the 818 BECAUSE it uses the Subaru drivetrain. Swapping in anything but a flat longitudinally mounted motor defeats many of the advantages of choosing a Subaru as the base donor.

I guess it's more of a theortical question for Dave, but I think that the 818 could cost even less than the ($10K kit + $5K donor = $15K completed) goal if it was based on a F/F transverse car to begin with.

I do feel that everyone should be able to modify and put any drivetrain into thier project that thier personal skill level (or wallet) allows, I simply question whether a Subaru was the best choice - IF multiple powerplants was a goal from the start.

Obviously, mine will be turbo Subaru powered.
Subaru was chosen because there are very few possible cars that could be a single donor and of those, I'm sure that Subaru was he best combination of price, availability and performance. They could have gone with a FWD donor like a Focus, but it would require more parts to either be fabicated by FFR or taken from a 2nd donor. So you're right, this is mostly just a theoretical "what if?" thread meant only for amusement while we wait for Dave's next update. Who knows though, maybe someone will squeeze in a 230 lb, 470 hp supercharged Hartney V8.

The migh mpg version, I think will be the most interesting because it will encourage the most innovation. It will probably also be a 2 donor version with all o the supension and steering bits coming from a Subaru and the engine and transmission coming from almost anything. This will really open up the possibilities. With a cheap starter kit, high schools, universities, and back yard engineers will be probably building these things not just as standard diesels, but hybrids, EVs, etc. People will probably find ways to drive it off of electricity, restaurant grease, wood, starw, compost, fairy farts, whatever. I think this kit would make a great basis for a university efficiency competition. With a pre-built kit, a smaller team with less resources could compete because they focus most of their energy on the drivetrain. They could even have a division that allows changes to the body to incorporate the aspect of aerodynamics.

I'd personnally like to see a through the road hybrid, with a smaller, lightweight engine driving the rear wheels and an EV with regenerative braking on the front wheels.