Obviously, not. But it seems that way. Been busy with other things and slacked off here. One thing that has been taking up a chunk of my time is doing the brackets and stats page for a 2v2 tournament for my Clan. Not that it's a terrible lot of hard work, just takes some time to round up everything and get it posted in a timely fashion.
Also been working on a new Photoshop project, a modified Holden Commodore SS-V. When I first saw this car, I loved it. Aggressive stance, aggressive body kit, nice looks, and great looking interior. I knew I had to 'chop it. I turned it into a high-speed test car for use on the open outback roads of Northern Territory. You can find a wallpaper version in the wallpapers section, and the original
here. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, actually.
More about the car (yes, it is completely fictional, but I'm taking the liberty to create an entire profile on the car...crazy I am), started off as a stock 2007 Holden Commodore SS-V. The body has been thoroughly re-worked, with an attempt to keep to look 'stock'. A front splitter has been added to reduce front-end lift, a small drag penalty there but the vehicle would otherwise loose most steering control at high-speed without it. The front fenders have been reshaped to accommodate the wheels and lowered stance, but are of stock width to reduce frontal area; also feature enlarged vents to extract engine-bay heat. Normally, this heat would exit under the vehicle, but given the low ground clearance and complete and flat undertray, air has to go somewhere. Exhaust gases exit through the rocker, tucked up tight above the undertray. Bubble rear fenders are smoothed into the body for little drag penalty and provide plenty of room for the 12" wide rear tires. Rear diffusers create a low pressure under the vehicle at speed to suck the car to the roadway and improve stability. A slightly up-sized rear wing (formed from dry carbon fiber) plants the wide rear tires and provides stability. Every removable body panel has been retrofitted with dry carbon fibre panels.
The interior has been stripped of all major components, trim panels, sound deadening and anything else not needed to go fast. A roll cage has not been installed to further reduce weight, just don't flip the thing. A racing seat formed of carbon fiber keeps the driver behind the wheel and reasonably comfortable. All glass has been replaced with light-weight Lexan, with the side glass fixed. A small duct linked to the side vents provides fresh air for the driver. The rear windows have also been converted from two-piece to one, again for weight savings.
Of course, you can't go really fast without lots of power, and the engine has been thoroughly gone through to produce about 650 HP. A supercharger provides much needed boost, high-capacity fuel system, dry-sump oil system to lower the motor, and various other tricks to improve power and durability at prolonged high RPM use. Likewise, the transmission and 3rd member have been reworked for use at high-speed use.
A lowered suspension hunkers the car to the road, keeping air flowing over the top and not so much under. Various bits have been replaced with aluminum to improve geometry and reduce static weight. The wheels are magnesium spoked on an aluminum rim, and are 18" in size. The large size is needed to clear to equally large brakes, which feature 6-piston calipers front and rear with carbon-ceramic discs. All this to ensure test runs end safely and in a controlled manner.
I think that about covers all the basics of the car. That was kinda fun, kinda like a "wish list" for a car like that.
