Aptera + Autocross = Fun!

[Raj Giandeep]

After seeing the Vehicle Dynamics Testing video from Aptera recently. It brought back fond memories of me growing up racing at AutoCross events.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQMTpXXaen0

What kind of fun things would you do with your Aptera?

[George Hughes]

What would be really cool is if Roush racing were to take an interest.

Actually I was watching the NASCAR race in LA at the Coliseum on a quarter-mile oval. I mean they were only averaging 70 mph with top speeds easily under 100 miles. And the entire race was only something like 37 miles total.

And then there’s short track road racing, sprints and the like.

The fact is, I’m not sure a 1000 mile Aptera doesn’t have the power to go all-out between 250 and 500 miles and those are, as they say, race distances.

I don’t know whether it was the early impression the chariot race in Ben Hur had on me or the pod racers in star wars but I think there is something extra-entertaining racing with the three-wheeled vehicle shape.

What the race at the LA Coliseum told me is that NASCAR is all about the show and the stars are the teams, the drivers, the sponsors and then the cars.

[Russell Fauver]

The beta does look much better behaved compared to the alpha footage.

[Vernon Michael Gardner]

If there is an autocross for Aptera, I am so there.

[George Hughes]

I was looking at autocross and wondering how/if I could use my Spark EV … I quickly got the impression from the website that based on the dynamics of the ICE Spark, it would be impossible to just show up at a SCCA autocross event and run. Seems the ICE Spark’s dimensions etc. are problematical enough to most probably require a roll cage.

This is largely due to requirements of the event insurance and experience and with Aptera there is no ‘experience’

[Raj Giandeep]

I’d think with the EV Spark with the weight low in the car. The handling might be good enough for autocross. Get in touch with your local SCCA region & ask.

[Vernon Michael Gardner]

You can run your spark and open or unlimited groups. In doing so, you would show that there’s an interest and if enough people join in they will make a group for that specific car and design. The first season you might not stand a chance against the cars that are already set up for racing, but you would show that there’s an interest. Possibly through one of the club regions they may find a group to put you with that you might stand a better chance, with more compatible competition.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by  Vernon Michael Gardner.

[John Malcom]

Raj,

I am a very senior citizen nostalgic about the old days of driving two seat sports cars with a stick shift. The first thing I will do will be to install a stick shift so I can recall my younger years driving pleasures😉

[Guy SKEER]

Yeah, Me Too! Complete with “Bruum, Bruum” mouth Noises of a Perrfect Double-Clutch Downshift setting up for entering a Turn!

[John Malcom]

YES!👍👍

[George Hughes]

They all say that as we reach our twilight years, we revert to children.

My favorite vocalization as a snot-nose kid was “uuuuhden, UUuhden, UUUhden …errrrrrrrrrr” as I revved and then dropped the clutch on my very first ‘car’ … a ’55 Plymouth Belvedere … surrounding myself in a massive cloud of blue smoke.

The slick tires – worn down to the bias-plys, did spin, but it was the piston rings that were responsible for the clouds as it burned damn near as much oil as it did gas.

I got the head off the damn thing – I think it had a blown head-gasket – and after replacing the gasket, I could never get the dang thing to run again.

Oh well, my brother ended up going into the Army and left his 65 Chevy Impala fastback with a 283 4bbl so I lucked out in his absence.

[Paul Evans]

John, a stick shift (or a fake one) is a fairly effective auto theft device – about 80% of the time. 😁

[Raj Giandeep]

I grew up with stick shift. I prefer it. I’ve gotten used to the automatic (EV) I drive now. But for spirited driving stick shifting much more engaging & fun. There are some custom EV’s with stick shift which is good to see. I saw Toyota is looking into a stick shift for EVs.

[Llewellyn Evans]

Driving stick is fun. I am going to miss it.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by  Llewellyn Evans.
• This reply was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by  Llewellyn Evans.

[George Hughes]

While not the last car, but the last brand new car bought with my own money (I won a car once) was a 1984 Ford Taurus with the 4 cyl coupled to a five-speed manual; this was the introductory year for the ‘aerodynamic’ Taurus which won MT’s car of the year.

My first car, a ’55 Plymouth, had a three on the tree. Other 4-5 speed manual cars included a Sunbeam Alpine, Mazda RX-3 wagon, another ’55 Plymouth, a Dodge D-50 pickup … and I have to admit shifting never bothered me because it was the path to controlling the power of the car.

With EVs, there is the pedal and one-pedal driving is simply elegant as it satisfies the experience of the vehicles power without muss or fuss.

I do think it might be clever to make a fake shifter to deter thefts … or maybe Aptera may make the PRNDL on a stalk reminiscent of the Citroen DS-19 – the stick just comes out of the dash.

But give me the EV driving experience.