If you think building a sawmill is a big achievement...

[Ianab]

Try a home built rally car.   

Alex is 21 year old, and has designed and built a road legal rally car, that does 0-120 mph in ~7 seconds.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Young-Kiwi-builds-rally-car-in-Coromandel-barn/tabid/317/articleID/343197/Default.aspx

A hot lap, turn the sound up  ;D. It's a Formula Renault racing engine in there.

http://www.3news.co.nz/Video-A-hotlap-with-Alex-Kelsey/tabid/415/articleID/343207/Default.aspx

Ian

[sawguy21]

That would certainly set him back in the seat. 

[Den Socling]

Imagine if he was sitting on the correct side.

[Ernie]

I've live here for 43 years and Kiwi ingenuity never ceases to impress me.  Shades of Bert Munro and the world's fastest Indian.

[WmFritz]

Imagine if he was sitting on the correct side.

In the first video, they blamed the steering wheel being on the wrong side due to Alex's dyslexia. 

Very nice project this kid completed.
I loved the hot lap. I never get tired of hearing the sound of a high performance engine. I did cringe a little when I heard some gears clashing. 

[Qweaver]

That is incredibly fast for a full bodied car. Formula and sports racers do it easily but they are not street legal.

[WmFritz]

I've live here for 43 years and Kiwi ingenuity never ceases to impress me.  Shades of Bert Munro and the world's fastest Indian.

Ernie, I saw the movie made about Burt Munro with Anthony Hopkins a couple years ago. It was a great inspirational story.

[Ianab]

I did cringe a little when I heard some gears clashing. 

Don't think that was gearbox noise. It's a sequential box, without a manual clutch. Shifting is via paddles on the wheel, and the clutch(s?) work automatically. Was probably  the engine hitting the rev limiter before he shifted, and backfiring on the downshift?  I think he was hitting the rev limiter in top on the front straight before he started braking.

[WmFritz]

I heard him hitting the rev limiter... have to go back and watch it again. Thought I heard a some gear grinding going into or coming out of a corner and then the rev limiter stuttered a bit.

I think I know the clutch actuator your referring to. As an engineering student, my son had a year long project along with a team, building an open wheel car on a much smaller scale then your link. It had paddle shifters on the steering wheel with an air operated clutch actuator. It went through the gears like Alex's car.

[Qweaver]

Back when I was building and racing formula cars the gear boxes required heel and toe shifting skills that have disappeared with modern racing transmissions.  I hate that!  I spent a lot of time developing that skill.  Why should it be easier for the young-uns.  :D  Outstanding design and fab  skills on this young mans part.

[Ianab]

Know what you mean. Mum bought a new Toyota with a CVT. Works great, and the computer keeps the engine revs and gear ratio "just right" So the Auto version gets better mileage than the manual, with the same performance.

OK, when I drive it I usually flick it into "manual" mode and it then pretends it's a 6 speed sequential and you can use engine braking on hilly winding roads.

But you aren't going to go up and down through the gears like that car does with an old school manual gearbox  :D

Ian

[drobertson]

What an incredible build this young man has accomplished!  I would love to drive that rascal for a hot lap, maybe not quite that fast ;D  I heard the rev limit hit as well, solid engines and tranny's for sure! Suspension as well, man, that is an awesome racer.