Imagine the Volkswagen XL1, but 7 years earlier...and with 17 world records.
The XL1 weighs in at 1752 lbs, has a drag coefficient of 0.189 and is powered by an 800cc 2-cylinder diesel engine with 48 HP, plus an additional 27 HP on tap from an electric motor. This is channeled via a 7 speed gearbox and is good for an impressive 261 MPG. It goes 0-62 in 12.7 Seconds with a top speed of 100 MPH. It's made gratuitous use of carbon fiber in it's chassis ad panels.
Now enter the 2002 Opel Eco Speedster. Weighing in at 1445 pounds, it has a drag coefficient of 0.20. Powered by a 1.3 L turbo-diesel Ecotec engine, This car rips and sips. 0-60 comes in at 8.8 seconds with a top speed of 155 MPH. The car is paired to a clutch-less manual 5 speed and returns 113 MPG. It has a hand built hydro-aluminum space frame with carbon fiber panels.
The Eco Speedster was based on the mid-engined speedster already in production. Engineers had to get radical with this one. To reduce drag, they had to lower the roof-line by 950 mm while installing gull wing doors to decrease the width and frontal area of the car. Additional weight savings included drilling holes in the bonded spaceframe, reducing the thickness of many components, and re-anodizing the frame; all without sacrificing its structural integrity.
The Opel ran for 24 hours at full throttle, only stopping to change drivers and to refuel at its own International Technical Development Center. The end result was 17 new records in the special cars with turbocharged diesels 1100-1499cc class.
Notable ones include:
-An average speed of 141 MPH over the span of 24 hours
-Top speed achieved was 160.2 MPH during the 24 hour run
-Best fuel consumption in economy run was 111.2 MPG
Well done Opel...well done.
Why The Opel Eco Speedster is the Greatest Car You've Never Heard Of