The SRT Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo is a 20-year-forward vision of uncompromising, unrestricted performance. It is the virtual fusion of extreme motoring and stunning design. The Tomahawk is a single seat MR-AWD (mid-rear engine, all-wheel-drive) vehicle constructed on a purpose-built composite chassis and designed around an aggressive powertrain.
The motivation for the Tomahawk is provided from two sources:
• The main power plant is a nearly flat, 144-degree 6.98-liter V10 engine generating in excess of 1,000 horsepower.
• Auxiliary power is stored in two composite pneumatic cylinders that run nearly the length of the wheelbase. Each of the front wheels is connected to a Variable-Fin Quad-Stage Pneumatic Power Unit that can rapidly store and release pneumatic energy. A similar Pneumatic Power Unit is connected to the V10 engine. This system provides the Tomahawk with All-Wheel-Drive capability to improve cornering and acceleration when grip at the rear wheels is traction limited.
The Tomahawk’s lightweight composite chassis uses emerging advanced materials including hollow carbon nanofibers and graphene micro-lattice structures. All of the transparent elements of the Tomahawk are made from graphene skins including the cockpit and the engine-cover windows. The graphene windscreen allows a clear digital overlay of all vehicle instrumentation and communications in front of the driver as needed. The filament-wound pneumatic cylinders are integral structural elements laminated into the chassis. The entire vehicle design, from the low driver position to the nearly flat layout of the V10 engine, is intended to achieve the lowest possible center of gravity.
The handling dynamics of the Tomahawk are enhanced by a continuously active aerodynamic system which deploys multiple pneumatically driven elements, including a rear wing and a secondary front splitter. These aero panels are constantly adjusting to the track conditions and driver inputs in order to provide the highest level of downforce and the lowest levels of drag when required. The Tomahawk’s aerodynamic system reacts to inputs provided by a forward scanning laser system that detects surface changes in front of the car. The computer controls anticipate changes in vehicle ride height, pitch and yaw and adjust the splitter accordingly.
The exhaust of the V10 engine is routed to the rear diffuser in a series of paired runners. Flow from the exhaust works in conjunction with the active aerodynamic system to provide an acceleration of underbody flow at the rear of the car and create a blown diffuser effect that increases downforce with no negative effect on drag.
The Tomahawk suspension also uses the pneumatic system in several ways: The vehicle rides on a set of variable-rate pneumatic springs which also provide adjustable jounce and rebound damping. In addition, the Tomahawk includes a revolutionary active camber system in which the wheel knuckles adjust to lean the vehicle into the turns with each wheel angling outboard or inboard to maintain the optimum tire contact patch and the highest possible mechanical grip.
SRT Tomahawk S Vision Gran Turismo
The S variant harnesses the thrilling capabilities of the Tomahawk Concept into its most approachable and street legal form. The S could also have a secondary meaning of “Start Here.” The Tomahawk S is a good place to start before daring to brave the more intense limits of the GTS-R and X versions. The power to weight ratio of the Tomahawk S is extreme by today’s standards but its full performance limit can be reached without the need for a G-suit. That aside, the Tomahawk S requires every synapse of your brain be focused on the track in order to achieve the wicked lap times this car can deliver.
The Tomahawk S includes the lowest-output version of the 6.98-liter V10 and pneumatic energy system, yet this ‘entry level’ Tomahawk still produces more than 1,000 horsepower. It is equipped with an active front splitter and rear spoiler integrated into the body work.
SRT Tomahawk GTR-S Vision Gran Turismo
Every true sports car needs to be realized in a racing version of its pedestrian self. The GTS-R is the most lightweight and race-ready form of the Tomahawk concept. Due to its increased power output, reduced weight and increased handling grip, the Tomahawk GTS-R requires a special racing suit that can be pressurized as necessary to counteract the physiological effects of extreme lateral g-forces. The fast-reacting G-suit is pressurized with a small bleed-off from the car’s high-capacity pneumatic system.
The Tomahawk GTS-R’s aerodynamics are enhanced with a dual-element version of the active rear wing. The upper element is stored beneath the lower element when not required or when low-drag/high-speed maneuvers are requested. Each of the four fenders is vented to avoid any high pressure build up in the wheel wells.
SRT Tomahawk X Vision Gran Turismo
The X is the ultimate expression of extreme performance. It takes the Tomahawk’s performance capability to the limit of human reflexes and the boundary of human physiology. Even with the assistance of the G-suit, an extensive seven-month training program is required to build up the driver’s condition in order to pilot the experimental Tomahawk X at 10/10ths. Only the fittest drivers are considered for this training program.
Colossal levels of lateral acceleration are achieved with the full complement of the Tomahawk X aerodynamic system, which includes nine independently actuating aerodynamic panels. In addition to the dual-element rear wing and underbody splitter, the X is equipped with corner wing panels that deploy above each of the four wheels. There are also two rudder panels located at each rear skirt. The corner wings and rudder panels work in concert with the rear wing and splitter to create not only massive amounts of vertical downforce but also the revolutionary effect of yaw force – a laterally acting force that bends the air sideways and sails the car through the bends similar to an airplane. In addition to downforce and yaw force, the panels can be deployed in a high-drag braking mode. The panels blossom away from the vehicle to their maximum extent, nearly doubling the projected frontal area of the car in a parachute of composite panels.
In low-drag mode, all of the X’s panels are retracted and seal against the vehicle body. As the vehicle approaches terminal velocity, the remaining pneumatic pressure can be released into the sides and rear of the car to modify and decrease the size of the turbulent air wake. This further decreases aerodynamic drag in order to achieve the Tomahawk’s top speed. Output of the Tomahawk X’s V10 engine is upgraded to more than 2,000 horsepower. With fully charged pneumatic cylinders, the total AWD output of the X is increased to more than 2,500 horsepower, which can propel the Tomahawk to previously unimaginable levels of speed.
