Confession of an Automationeer, Part 200: SuperUte
For my 200th post in this series (and 400th overall!), I'm giving you a special gift: a pocket rocket with a big heart and an oversized luggage compartment. I originally posted it here, but I'll explain it further in this post.
Above and below: It may look like a small truck (albeit one that's been aesthetically modernized), but this pocket rocket (in truck terms) is built on a unibody platform with fully independent front and rear suspension and a completely new engine.
The changes made to the SuperUte are more than skin deep. With a 5.0L overhead-valve V8 developing 400 horsepower and 365 lb-ft of torque (thanks to individual throttle body direct injection and tubular headers), sent exclusively to the rear wheels via a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox and helical limited-slip differential, it's capable of reaching 60 mph from a standstill in 4.8 seconds - perfectly adequate for this kind of build (especially since a larger engine would cause the majority of the car's mass to be too far forward). Staggered high-performance tires (225mm front, 245mm rear) surrounding 17-inch forged alloy wheels provide agile handling and sizable amounts of grip when teamed with the all-new dual-wishbone front/multilink rear suspension, while large vented disc brakes ensure consistent and ample stopping power.
Above: Although the SuperUte's interior is slightly pared back, there are still enough creature comforts inside to keep the two occupants entertained even on long trips.
Built on an all-new advanced steel chassis with some aluminum panels (specifically, the doors and hood), the SuperUte weighs just 1.19 metric tons but can carry over 600kg of cargo in its load bay (which is now concealed underneath a tonneau cover). With a subtle aero kit (front/rear lip spoilers, rear diffuser, and aerodynamic undertray), it remains planted on the ground at any speed, even without a payload. A lightweight, sporty interior with a premium infotainment system suits the car's mission statement while still providing a decent amount of comfort, especially with modern safety and assistance systems (traction/stability/launch control and variable electric power steering) in place.
In short, the SuperUte bears very little, if any. relation to the donor car, being effectively an all-new vehicle under the skin, even though it's still carrying an older classic body on top.