Crazy Australian Developing Chevrolet W16-Powered Supercar

Everyone should have a project to work on, and Australian entrepreneur Paul Halstead has really taken one on. He wants to build his own car to take on the , but he is going to do it in a car with a W16 engine made by mating two ChevroletChevroletUnited States of America, 1911 > present82 models
3556 photos
7 videos
7.0-liter V8s with two crankshafts. He's predicting that the engine will produce around 1,200hp. 

Halstead's plan is to take two Chevrolet LS7 V8s, tilt them 45 degrees and connect them to a special transfer case that means the engines will be turning independently to send power through a transfer case that will send power to a six-speed sequential transmission to power the rear wheels. The combined 14-liters will make around 1,200hp, according to Halstead.

"I have been designing and building the car for two years now and I am 3 years away from completion. While it will be able to be driven on the road its' capabilities will be judged on the track. Full road compliance is not part of my specification. I expect this one off build to set me back $1,000,000 [Australian]," said Halstead.

He plans to mount the body in a carbon fiber monocoque and cover it in a carbon fiber body. The body only exists in sketches for the moment, but the car is inspired by the McLaren F1McLaren F1United Kingdom, 1992 > 19986 versions
21 photos
. The driver sits on either side with occupants on either side. Unlike the F1, the car is planned to have a sliding canopy for the roof like a fighter plane.

Halstead's goal is to have the car ready for the Detroit Autorama hot rod show for 2016.

For the time being, this car is just a personal project for Halstead, but he says that if an interested buyer put up the money, he would build more.

Building a twin-engine supercar is an interesting way to solve the problem of making big power. Forced induction in American V8s is not unheard of. In the SSC Ultimate Aero TTShelby SuperCars Ultimate...United States of America, 2007 > present4 photos
a 6.35-liter Chevrolet V8 produces 1287hp, and ShelbyShelbyUnited States of America, 1965 > present7 models
135 photos
offers the 1,200hp Shelby 1,000Shelby 1000 S/CUnited States of America, 2012 > present10 photos
with a supercharged 5.8-liter V8. 

"Please don't view this as a practical exercise it's most certainly not, It should been seen as Automotive art!  And, like all art the beauty or otherwise will be judged in the eye of the beholder," said Halstead

The 67-year-old Halstead made his fortune in the IT business but also had his own performance car dealership in the 80s and was the official importer of De TomasoDe TomasoItaly, 1959 > present10 models
36 photos
cars into Australia. He also sold 15 examples of a Alfa Romeo SprintAlfa Romeo SprintItaly, 1976 > 19891 Version
2 photos
with a mid-mounted V8 that he sold as the Giocattolo. You can learn more about the company here.

Source: Motor Authority