Ever dreamt of owning a super-light near indestructible car? Of course you have, but now thanks to a man who made his first fortune inventing the nicotine patch, we all may be a bit closer.

Former drugmaker Don Panoz has invented a material called Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System, or REAMS for short. This material is being trialled by a company called Elan Motorsport Technologies that Panoz himself founded in the 1990s.

REAMS is a composite plastic, comprising of closely woven threads of PVC, the same material used in piping. Not only is it 20% lighter than the carbon fibre used in formula 1 and super cars, but it is sturdier and cheaper.

Panoz is testing out the new material with a car design called the Deltawing. At first glance it looks like every bad superhero car that never made it into a comic, but look closer and you will see a design that may revolutionize the way we construct cars for the track and the road in the coming years.

The design of the shell tapers at the front of the car, and uses a vertical fin to reduce wind drag. Other components keep the car on the ground, such as extraordinarily thin front tires, with a width of only 4 inches. "When you first look at this car, you think 'its going to fly!'" says Panoz.

Before the car makes its debut at Le Mans car rally in France, Panoz has plans for the material aside from in the auto sector. Elan Motorsport Technologies is developing the material for Gulfstream Aerospace. "Everyone would like to have something lightweight that absorbs energy on impact," says David Cole, chairman emeritus from the Center for Automotive Research.

The material is future focused as possible, it requires less energy to produce than carbon fibre, and because it is lighter, any vehicle that uses it as a shell would cut down on fuel consumption. Panoz discussed the Deltawing design with Autoweek: "You only need half the horsepower and subsequently half the fuel, so in that sense it is certainly far more energy-efficient. When you add the components which are less expensive--bodywork, smaller more cost-effective engines--it really is a great mix for green racing."

Be the first to comment on this.