Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 194: Lighter and Saner?

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 194: Lighter and Saner?

Having previously finalized the design and engineering of the 1995 HPG H2L, I decided to ask myself one question about it: "What if it had a smaller, lighter, and less powerful four-cylinder engine under its curving rear window?" To that end, I swapped its 2.0-liter flat-six for a 1.6-liter all-aluminum/silicon flat-four engine developing 200 horsepower at 8000 rpm (500 shy of redline), thanks to high-flow intake and exhaust manifolds and the magic of variable valve timing and lift. The resulting car was 45 kilograms lighter as a result, thanks to the fitment of smaller (and hence lighter) wheels, brakes, and tires. And while not quite as fast as it once was, 4.4 seconds to 60 mph from a standstill was quite impressive in 1995, especially considering the car's reduced power output. Best of all, it still handled and stopped just as well as it used to, if not better - the car's relatively low comfort level (an inevitable trade-off for making it so light and spartan) being one of its few drawbacks.

Above, from top: I originally wanted the HPG H2L to be powered by a six-cylinder engine, but have since realized that it may be far better off with just four - it's almost as fast, and crucially, handles and stops even better, thanks to being lighter than before. This time, the exhaust pipes exit from the center of the rear diffuser instead of the sides.

As before, the sound system can be omitted for even less weight, while semi-slick tires are optional for extreme track use - but even without them, this flat-four flyweight is still a legitimate giant-killer. In fact, I loved it so much (even more so than the original, in fact) that I decided to launch a whole challenge round themed around lightweight performance cars for the modern (2020+) era - although that will have to wait until a future post.