Chasing land pace data might sound futile and pointless to most, however there’s a real upside to mankind’s thrive for ever extra, ever higher, ever sooner. In fact, it may well come at a value, both monetary or bodily, however sooner or later down the road, we are able to profit from the improvements and developments wanted to interrupt new floor. With out this starvation, a whole lot of issues we now take without any consideration wouldn’t be accessible to us. Take rear-view mirrors, seat belts, and paddle-shift gearboxes for instance, which all got here instantly from racing. Land-speed file automobiles just like the Thrust SSC additionally gave us beneficial insights into unchartered territory. It’d come as a shock, however Renault has left an indefinite mark on the historical past of land pace data and appears to return to former glory with the Filante Report 2025.
Land Velocity Information are available in all kinds of classes. Two-wheel versus four-wheel, wheel-driven versus propulsion-driven, combustion engines versus jet or electrical engines, male or feminine drivers, limitations on variety of cylinders or engine capability, standing km/mile versus flying km/mile, and so forth. Essentially the most important one is the all-out Land Velocity Report, held by Andy Inexperienced, a former Royal Air Power fighter pilot. He nonetheless holds the file for the quickest pace recorded on land, set within the Thrust SSC (Tremendous Sonic Automotive). On October fifteenth 1997, the Thrust SSC crew did one thing unthinkable earlier than then, which was to interrupt the sound barrier, in a automobile. Inexperienced, the pilot of the automobile, reached the unimaginable pace of 1,227.986 kph (or 763.035 mph) which is Mach 1.016 (or 1.016 instances the pace of sound). To at the present time, it’s nonetheless the one automobile to have damaged the pace of sound. The clip beneath is the record-breaking run, and consists of the sonic increase that got here off the automobile!
Because the daybreak of automobiles and bikes, individuals have been chasing after data just about continuous. Sir Malcolm Campbell, one of many largest names in pace data held 13 of them within the Nineteen Twenties and Thirties in automobiles and boats. His son, Donald Campbell continued the custom and held the all-out land pace file for plenty of years together with his Bluebird CN7, with which he achieved 648.73kph in 1964. This was additionally the final wheel-driven land pace file in historical past, as all of the others after it relied on turbojet or rocket engines. Different icons in land pace file chasing embody Henry Ford (sure, the founding father of the Ford Motor Firm), Henry Segrave, Craig Breedlove, Louis Rigolly, and John Cobb, to call however a number of. The competitors for “Who’s Quickest?!” has largely been a back-and-forth battle between the People, the Brits, and the French, which brings us to Renault!
Renault & Information
A large variety of automobile producers have been concerned in land pace data chasing. Maybe probably the most well-known ones are the streamlined Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union automobiles from the Thirties, however they have been removed from the one ones. Sunbeam, Opel, Ford, Fiat, Délage, and naturally; Renault. The French carmaker constructed the 40 CV des Information within the mid-Nineteen Twenties, a single-seater car (see above & beneath) with a really rudimentary method to aerodynamics. It had a really slender absolutely enclosed physique with a fin-like tail part and uncovered wheels. Energy got here from a 9.1-litre straight-six engine, which put out 140 to 150bhp. With it, the 40 CV des Information set a number of pace data and will hit 200kph.
The Nervasport des Information was one other considered one of Renault’s record-breaking automobiles and was in-built 1934. This confirmed important developments over the 40 CV des Information from virtually a decade earlier, together with a smoother, extra streamlined physique, inboard headlights, smaller wheels to cut back drag and a 4.8-litre straight-8 engine. With 108bhp on faucet and a weight of 1,600kg, the Nervasport des Information reached speeds of 190kph and held 13 pace data. Throughout a continuous 48-hour file try on the French circuit of Montlhéry, the Nervasport managed a mean pace of 167,445 kph and lined a distance of 8.037 kilometres, breaking 9 worldwide pace data and three world data within the course of! The automobile you see here’s a duplicate of the unique, constructed by Renault to commemorate the Nervasport’s legacy.
The ultimate chapter in Renault’s record-breaking historical past earlier than we transfer to the Filante Report 2025, is the legendary Étoile Filante from 1956. It was Renault’s first and solely try at a turbine-powered land pace file automobile, and an try to see if turbine energy was appropriate for manufacturing automobiles. The light-weight tubular chassis was lined by a extremely streamlined polyester physique. Essentially the most notable options are the small open cockpit, the side-exit exhausts for the engine and the upswept tail fins to offer the automobile extra stability. A Turbomeca Turmo turbine engine producing 270bhp was mounted simply behind the motive force, with the drive going to the rear wheels solely. The Étoile Filante maxed out at 330kph and set a number of pace data, together with the best pace in a flying kilometre (306,902 kph) and a flying mile (307,707 kph).
The Filante Report 2025
The automobile to deliver Renault again to record-breaking glory is named the Filante Report 2025, named after the Étoile Filante and design-wise considerably impressed by the 40 CV des Information from the Nineteen Twenties. However in all honesty, it might look proper at residence in a big-budget Science-Fiction film or one thing. However earlier than we get into the design of the Filante Report 2025 and all of the technical nitty-gritty, it’s becoming to clarify Renault’s intentions with it. All of the whereas I’ve been speaking about land pace data and whereas that is geared toward setting data, it focuses totally on power effectivity and vary as an alternative of absolute flat-out Clarkson-esque ‘Speeeeeed!!’.
So what’s the massive pleasure then? Properly, it’s very a lot a vehicular test-bed for innovation and expertise that may discover its strategy to Renault’s road-going portfolio of automobiles. And I at all times applaud producers that go the additional mile in automobile growth, particularly when it comes right down to such a cool-looking machine as this one! Sure, it’s battery-powered and no, Renault isn’t aiming for the electrical land pace file (at present held by the Buckeye Bullit with 549,211 kph over one kilometre) however there’s benefit to the model’s efforts nonetheless. Whether or not we prefer it or not, EVs are part of right now’s automotive business and easily put; right here to remain. And thus it makes good sense to try and get as a lot out of each kilowatt of power used within the course of, proper?
Anyway, the Filante Report 2025 is a laboratory on wheels, mainly, with a size of 5.12m, a peak of 1.19m and a width of 1.71m. The automobile is designed to be as mild as potential contemplating what it wants to attain its targets and ideas the scales at 1,000kg. Intensive use of carbon fibre Scalmalloy and different superior light-weight supplies contributes to the automobile’s low weight, with out compromising structural rigidity. The outside is optimized to be as aero-efficient as it may be, which is the rationale for the outstanding size versus width ratio. An extended automobile is aerodynamically extra steady than a shorter one, to make it easy.
Tucked away beneath elongated fairings are particular friction-reducing wheels by Michelin. The entrance finish reveals a sharply penned centre “fuselage”, with giant spherical headlights mimicking those on the 40 CV des Information. Across the again, the fin-like tail part of that historic machine additionally makes a religious look. When considered from the aspect, you may undoubtedly see the automobile’s lineage to the earliest of Renault’s record-breaking automobiles. The cockpit is roofed by a glass cover that narrowly pops up over the entrance part of the bodywork. The seat is a mixture of carbon fibre blades and stretched canvas, and all of the controls are positioned inside straightforward attain of the motive force. The steering, acceleration and braking management are built-in into the steering yoke, which is absolutely steer-by-wire. Actually, there may be zero mechanical connection between the motive force and the automobile, as every part is wire-controlled.
Renault stays a bit hush-hush on the efficiency of the automobile, aside from mentioning it has an 87 kWh battery, related in capability to the Scenic E-Tech. No energy output, no acceleration instances, no high speeds, no vary targets, no effectivity targets, nothing… The one element they declare is that the battery pack weighs 600kgs, so it’s greater than half of the load of your complete automobile. It’s additionally not said what particular effectivity or vary data Renault is chasing. Time will inform although, in the event that they obtain their targets or not. Till then, we are able to simply admire this crazy-looking machine and hope a few of the design particulars make their strategy to Renault’s street automobiles within the close to future!
For extra info, please go to Renault.com.
Editorial Observe: The knowledge used for, and pictures portrayed on this article are sourced from and used with permission of Renault.com until said in any other case.
