Serious
Speed Requires Serious Safety Precautions
Even
the uninitiated can tell at a glance that this is an
extreme performance-oriented street machine. It is
meant to go fast, to turn left and right with superior
handling and agility, and to stop as well as it goes.
Machines like this are meant to have their limits tested,
and that means the vehicle must also provide extraordinary
safety for anyone inside.
As
with any ultimate performance machine, fire must always
be considered a possibility,
especially in the event
of a crash. To reduce the likelihood of a catastrophic
fire resulting from a fuel spill in a crash, the stock
steel gas tank under the car has been replaced with
a 22-gallon Fuel Safe® fuel cell mounted in a steel
enclosure in the trunk area of the vehicle. The steel
enclosure is fabricated from 1x1-inch steel tubing and
steel sheetmetal on the sides and bottom. An aluminum
sheetmetal top completes the enclosure and provides fuel
cell retention. The fuel cell enclosure is positioned
inside the rear rollcage and frame extension for further
impact protection. The trunk is also isolated from the
passenger compartment by a steel firewall barrier. Rick “Speed” Lefever
fabricated and installed all of this structure. The
reinforced rubber fuel bladder contains a foam insert
that prevents the rapid draining of the cell if it
should ever be ruptured. The foam insert also prevents
the fuel from sloshing around in the fuel cell, which
could upset vehicle handling. The cell will be vented
to a location outside the trunk area. Not even a NASCAR
Winston Cup car has any better fuel containment safety,
and no, this trunk is not intended for luggage or a
spare tire.
One
other item that is in the trunk is the battery. The
battery was relocated to the trunk for two reasons.
First, removing it from the engine compartment provides
additional room for the turbochargers and their associated
ducting. And second, mounting the battery in the extreme
right rear of the vehicle helps improve the weight
distribution in the car for better handling, acceleration,
and braking.
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