Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 225: Torpedo to the Max

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 225: Torpedo to the Max

Just to show the potential of an even more highly tuned Mantle Torpedo (specifically, a post-facelift variant), here's the Evo II trim released in 1997:

Above, from top: The Mantle Torpedo Evo II is a lot like the original Torpedo Evo, but even more extreme.

Weighing only 10kg more than the original Evo trim, but with even more thrust than before (300 horsepower, to be exact), the Evo II spares no expense (as far as a $30k budget is concerned) to be the ultimate giant-killer, with an even more aggressive aero kit than before, 17-inch forged wheels wrapped in high-performance tires, and a similar braking setup to the original Evo, but larger. The result is a 175-mph top speed and a scorching 0-60 mph time of 4.0 seconds.

In short, this variant of the Torpedo is by far the wildest - although it's still usable on the road, since its performance figures were achieved on sports tires instead of semi-slick items. However, all of the variants I've made so far achieve their aim of providing the thrills and performance of a mid-engined sports car at a relatively low price.