The legendary Ford Sierra RS500 is being reborn as a carbonfibre-bodied technological tour de force, with input from Cosworth and a target weight of less than a tonne.
A group of British automotive firms have partnered to create the outlandish reimagined 1980s super-saloon, which has been dubbed the Carbon Piranha.
Based on chassis #148 of the 500 Sierra RS500s built (hence the project's Vision148 strapline), the Carbon Piranha will "showcase bleeding-edge manufacturing and materials technology", its creators said.
It isn't clear what condition chassis #148 is in, but the project's website shows it covered in dust and missing some parts, suggesting it hasn't been on the road in some time.
It will be "recycled, reimagined and rebuilt" as an outlandish, retro show car that looks to take heavy influence from old-school touring cars while subtly modernising the hot Sierra's look.
ASM Auto Recycling, based in Oxfordshire, will disassemble the car and 3D-scan every panel and component to create a digital twin, which will then in turn be used as a template for a new carbonfibre body shell, designed by London-based studio Yasid Design.
The final car will then be built by Silverstone-based Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC), a supplier of lightweight, high-strength components to the aerospace, high-end automotive and motorsport industries.
This company's additive manufacturing and prototyping methods will be crucial to achieving a sub-1000kg target weight - more than 210kg down on the original steel-bodied car.
Join the debate
Add your comment
This doesn't look like a subtle modernising of the design to me, the wider body additions in particular are far too much. Dial it down a bit.
If they can shave 210kg of the original car weight, I don't think overhauling the engine to give more power is worth it, surely it'll be fast enough?, also just to see how much better this car is over the original car.