Analyzing and Driving the NASA/Elan NP01: The Ultimate Affordable Prototype

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Safety was a prime consideration in the construction of the NP01.  The chassis is built with 1018 seamless steel. 1018 is very malleable and can absorb impacts without breaking better than something like 4130 chromoly. Look at the side impact protection and the generous amount of room around the driver.  The chassis forms a safety cell around the driver.  In terms of repairability, repair parts for the chassis will be sold as pre made clips so in the advent of a bad crash, you can simply cut out the damaged section and weld in a new clip. 1018 is very weldable, and does not require post weld heat treating or special welding techniques like other alloys might.  The composite seat is very strong and generously sized and must be customized with a bead insert to fit the individual driver.
The NP01 has a full coverage roll cage which we think is essential for safety.  This beats the Radical and the Spec Ford for protection hands down.  The chassis is much more substantial than any open wheel racer as well.  As you can see here the chassis also allows for a generously sized door opening.  A lot of us middle aged types are not as limber as we used to be compared to 20 year old studs so this is an important consideration for a club racer.
The foot structure has the hydraulic cylinders of the pedal box on the inside of the chassis. This is important for safety as it prevents the hard cylinders from being rammed into your legs in the advent of a hard crash. With the openness of the chassis it is is easy to get in there for adjustment or maintenance as well.  The 5 lb Halon 1301 Safecraft fire bottle is mounted under the driver's knees. 
The fluid reservoirs and the balance bar adjusters are all easy to get to.  There is a steel floor in the area of the foot box which helps stiffness in this area as well. The main flat bottom floor is made of marine grade plywood which is not only strong and light but inexpensive to replace as well compared to a honeycomb composite part.
The fire bottle and a data transponder are being tried out for fit in this shot.
The engine is a Mazda MZR/Ford Durtatech variant that puts out 185 hp.  The engine is sealed and designed to go two full seasons without having to be freshened. The engine only costs $5000 to completely rebuild and usually the servicing cost is less than that. The engine is dry sumped for bomb proof lubrication even with real race car G forces and is not stressed very hard, hence it's long life.
 

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