Splinter - The Wooden Supercar
A group of Post Graduates at North Carolina State University, lead by Joe Harmon, are building a Supercar made of wood – the aptly named ‘Splinter’.
Yes, you did read that right. Joe Harmon Design is creating a wooden Supercar. A Supercar made of wood. A tree sourced supercar. I think we’ve made that clear enough, even if it did take a while to get our heads round it. But why not?
Wood is a wonderful materiel. Strong, not too heavy and capable of being formed in to very complex shapes. Joe Harmon and friends are building the Splinter as a high-performance, mid-engined supercar from wood composites as a graduate project at North Carolina State University. Which sounds like a lot of fun.
The specification looks interesting. Power comes from a 4.5 litre V8 developing 600bhp and the car weighs in at around 2500lbs. Wood will be used wherever possible, including the chassis, body, and large percentages of the suspension components and wheels.
Interestingly, in this age of mission statements and ‘Planet Saving’ proclamations, these guys are having none of that nonsense. They say:
“We aren’t trying to sell anything; we aren’t trying to save the world, and we aren’t advocating that everyone should drive a wooden car. This project is a scholastic endeavour in which are simply trying to explore materials, learn, teach, share ideas, and stimulate creativity.”
Will the Splinter make it in to production? Who knows. I guess if they get it together and it works it is quite possible.
Perhaps it will come with a free tin of Cuprinol for home detailing?
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