This content requires cookies, please click 'Allow Cookies' at the bottom of the screen.

RML’s lead engineer for the Short Wheelbase programme, Nic Rutherford, is a man on a mission.

 Image

RML’s lead engineer for the Short Wheelbase programme, Nic Rutherford, is a man on a mission. With just three months to go before the first Short Wheelbase is produced, his team is validating the new car’s systems using both physical and highly advanced simulated processes.

For example, the Short Wheelbase’s cooling system is being tested up to ambient temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius – and in the very worst stop-start conditions, too. The design of the coolant- and oil radiators have been carefully assessed using CFD(computational fluid dynamics) to determine any issues with sustained high-speed driving before the physical units are validated in a wind tunnel. Final sign-off will be in a full vehicle at a climatic wind tunnel, prior to launch.

 Image
 Image

But what about the Short Wheelbase’s occupants? Drawing from RML’s considerable experience in whole-vehicle development, an HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning) rig was built which replicated the cabin’s volume precisely, allowing Nic’s team to prove the system’s efficiency in extreme hot and cold conditions. In fact, no stone was left unturned. A windscreen rig was built to validate the sweep and durability of the wiper mechanisms. And even the car’s physical controls – door handles, infotainment pop-up screen Drawing from RML’sconsiderable experience in whole-vehicle development, an HVAC (heating ventilation Air Conditioning) rig was built which replicated the cabin’s volume precisely, allowing Nic’s team to prove the system’s efficiency in extreme hot and cold conditions.

In fact, no stone was left unturned. A windscreen rig was built to validate the sweep and durability of the wiper mechanisms. And even the car’s physical controls – door handles, infotainment pop-up screen and column-stalks – are all being put through a minimum of 5,000 repeat cycles to prove that they are up to the job.

RML’s Short Wheelbase certainly captures all the style of a classic 50s GT, but its comfort, durability and functionality will be well and truly rooted in the 21st century.

https://rmlgroup.com/news

 Image