CANEPA — GM — SO-CAL
HHR Land Speed Record Program
We're going to Bonneville!
Canepa Design and So-Cal Speedshop in association with GM are
taking the HHR back to Bonneville in attempt to brake the G/Blown Fuel Competition
Coupe class record. The G/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe record stands at 226.835
mph, a lofty mark established 15 years ago.
We are actively seeking partners on this program if
you are interested please email us at info@canepa.com.
The Car
Chevrolet HHR
Purpose-built for land speed racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats, and running
in the G/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe class, the HHR has been chopped seven
inches, stretched in the hood four inches and converted from transverse front-wheel
drive to longitudinal rear-wheel drive. The turbocharged and intercooled 2.0L
Ecotec engine, producing in excess of 1000 horsepower, was designed and assembled
by GM Performance. The powerplant drives an air-shifted five-speed transmission
and a quick-change rear end. On its second-ever shakedown run the HHR went
208.690 MPH
Making its debut in 2005, the Chevy So-Cal Bonneville HHR topped
208 mph on the Salt Flats, and attracted huge crowds in the pits and at the
start line. Even though it didn’t get a chance to top the 16-year-old
226.835 mph record in G/BFCC class (G Class/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe),
the HHR achieved its objective of creating a buzz around Chevy’s latest
crossover vehicle. GM engineer and Bonneville record holder Jim Minneker drove
the HHR in the G/BFCC class in 2005 and 2006.
In 2006 the HHR crashed at over 250 MPH when Minneker lost traction
when the parachute deployed. Minneker was beating the previous record of 226.835
in the G/BFCC class (G Class/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe) with a qualifying
run of 246.686 mph when the HHR lost traction at the five-mile mark of the
long course. The vehicle’s terminal speed at the time was 249.793 MPH.
Minneker was able to walk away from the incident with nothing more than a
stiff neck.
“We take any kind of racing very seriously, and the safety
of our race drivers is always of paramount importance,” said GM Performance
Division Executive Director Bob Kruse. “GM’s technology, equipment
and procedures for racing are world class and today’s incident is a
prime example. The structure of the HHR was outstanding, and it performed
exactly as it was intended for this ultra high speed type of incident.”
Why an HHR for the salt? Al Oppenheiser, director of Concept
Vehicle Engineering, explained: “The message from GM’s leadership
was clear - ‘Every employee needs to do what they can to communicate
the energy and excitement of the great new products we’re launching,
such as the HHR.’ At the GM Performance Division, we felt that there
was no better way to contribute to the excitement of the HHR launch than to
build an HHR racecar that could shatter the world speed record in the very
competitive G/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe class.
“The grassroots nature of Bonneville reaches audiences
far and wide, and the GM Performance Division continues to build momentum
each year with our presence,” Oppenheiser added. “A new speed
record for the HHR would be a great contribution from our team to support
the GM leadership’s message.”
The New Car
Learning from the experiences of 2006, a completely new car has been designed
and constructed.
The Ecotec engine in a production HHR is mounted transversely
and drives the front wheels; in the Bonneville version, the engine is mounted
longitudinally and powers the rear wheels. Occupying the space once reserved
for the front seats, the Bonneville HHR’s mid-mounted Ecotec delivers
its prodigious torque via an air-shifted five-speed racing transmission and
a quick-change rear end.
The HHR’s Ecotec is essentially identical to the engine
we use in the Cobalt SS racecar at Bonneville. It’s turbocharged and
intercooled, it burns methanol fuel, and it produces 1,000+ horsepower at
full boost. With the HHR’s 5-speed gearbox and quick-change rear end
we have the ability to optimize the gear ratios. The racing transmission allows
us to change individual ratios to optimize the rpm drop during gear changes
based on the engine’s power curve. We can also optimize top speed for
the conditions at Bonneville by changing the rear end’s final drive
ratio.
While the HHR’s styling has retro elements, its aerodynamic
attributes are state-of-the-art. The team worked closely with the production
HHR aerodynamicist and in-house aerodynamic experts at GM. All of the Bonneville
HHR’s aero development was done at the GM Aerodynamic Laboratory in
Warren, Mich.
So-Cal Speed Shop brought its own flair to this project. “It’s
always a challenge chopping a modern vehicle,” said So-Cal Speed Shop
President Pete Chapouris. “The HHR’s body panels are galvanized
steel, and we had to chop four doors and fabricate a new tailgate to house
twin parachutes. The roof incorporates NASCAR-style flaps and side rails to
prevent the car from becoming airborne and to help slow it down should it
spin. We installed a Funny Car-style escape hatch in the roof as an additional
safety feature.”
So-Cal Speed Shop fabricators Robin “Silky” Silk
and Paul Rivera constructed the Bonneville HHR’s tubular chassis. Inspired
by the Pro Mod chassis used in drag racing, the HHR framework is a double-rail
design. The engine can be easily removed for service by sliding it forward
on the upper chassis rails. The front suspension incorporates lightweight
MacPherson struts and the rear suspension is a four-link system with coil-over
shock absorbers.
HHR Bonneville Specifications
Engine: Turbocharged Ecotec Inline-4
Displacement 1998 cc / 121.9 cu in
Power: 1000+ bhp @ 8500 rpm
torque 677.91 nm / 500 ft lbs @ 7500 rpm
Transmission: Jerico Air-Shifted 5-speed
Chassis: Tubular Chrome Moly Steel Spaceframe
Front brakes: Discs w/Twin-Piston Calipers
Rear brakes:Discs w/Twin-Piston Calipers
Front wheels:F 38.1 x 11.4 cm / 15 x 4.5 in
Front tire size:Goodyear Racing Eagle Land Speed
Rear tire size:Goodyear Racing Eagle Land Speed
Front suspension: MacPherson struts
Rear suspension: four link with quick-change axle
Weight: 3200 lbs
Wheelbase: 107.1 in
Front track: 59.5 in
Rear track: 60.9 in
Length: 174.5 in
Width: 68.1 in
Height: 51.7 in
The Team
So-Cal Speed Shop, GM Performance, Canepa Design
So-Cal Speed Shop
Founded in 1946 by Alex Xydias the So-Cal Speed shop has been at the cutting
edge of the Hot Rod movement and Land Speed record racing ever since. In the
1950 the famous So-Cal designed and built “bellytankers” were
running at over 200MPH at Bonneville. They had also built the first hot rods
to go 160, 170, 180 and 190 mph. Alex Xydias and So-Cal Speed shop president
Pete Chapouris were selected as two of the Top 100 Most Influential People
in the high-performance industry and, as such, were inducted into the Hot
Rod magazine Hall of Fame in 1997.
So-Cal in partnership with GM Performance built three new cars
for a 2006 land speed record attempt – the radically redesigned 2006
Chevy So-Cal HHR, the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS race car and the Ecotec Lakester,
which set a 189.205 mph speed record in the G/BGL class and is a modern-day
replica of the famous So-Cal belly tank Lakester.
So-Cal is responsible for the design and construction of the
HHR land speed record car.
SO-CAL Speed Shop
1357 E. Grand Ave. Pomona, CA 91766 • tel: 909.469.6171 •
www.so-calspeedshop.com
GM Performance Division
The GM Performance Division creates concept, show and production performance
vehicles for multiple vehicle brands within GM. The most qualified people,
processes and technology that GM has to offer, develop these performance-inspired
vehicles. GM Performance provides parts, and engineering expertise to a wide
range or racing venues, from road racing, drag racing, oval racing, off road
racing and land speed record racing.
GM Performance is responsible for the 1000+HP Ecotec engine used in the HHR
land speed record car.
www.gmperformancedivision.com
Canepa Design
For over three decades Canepa Design has created stunning, personalized designs
for European and American sports and luxury cars, SUV’s, motorcycles,
heavy trucks and custom enclosed trailers. Over these years, Canepa Design
has become known for expertly combining classic design with advanced technology,
and premium materials with superb craftsmanship. The company is also deeply
involved in Historic sports car racing, offering full restoration services,
race preparation and on track support.
In addition to his duties as President and founder of Canepa Design, Bruce
Canepa is also an accomplished race driver. He began his competition career
racing USAC midget, modified and sprint cars. In the late 1970’s he
competed professionally in the IMSA sports car championship. In 1979 he finished
on the podium at the Daytona 24 hours. He was a Porsche factory driver for
the 1979 IMSA championship season driving a 935. He also competed at the world
famous Pikes Peak hill climb finishing second in 1982 in a Porsche Turbo powered
buggy. In 2001 he set the record for the Big Rig Trucks at 13:59.96, which
still stands today. Currently he is active in Historic racing.
Canepa Design provides design and engineering consultation on the HHR program
in addition Bruce will be the driver for the record attempts.
The Event
Bonneville Land Speed Record
Our goal it to break the 16-year-old 226.835 mph record in G/BFCC class
(G Class/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe) at the Bonneville Speed Week
The Bonneville Salt Flats
There was a time, centuries ago, when the Great Salt Lake covered an area
of 5,000 square miles. Today, what remains of that massive lake is a very
unique and special place that is also the home of one of the world’s
most unique racetracks. There are lots of racetracks in the world. But this
is the one where they go the fastest.
The salt flats were first used for motor sports in 1912, but
didn’t become truly popular until the 1930s when the Ab Jenkins and
Sir Malcolm Campbell competed against each other to set the world land speed
record.
For many of people, racing at Bonneville represents the last
area of motorsports where people are encouraged to come up with their own
ideas and try them out. The technical challenge of designing and building
a vehicle to go faster than anyone has gone before is extremely difficult.
Bonneville is the ultimate test bead for state of the art engineering and
automotive technology.
To an outsider, it would appear that straightaway speed trials
driving couldn’t be easier. No curves or turns to worry about, no flag
waving starter to watch before you start down the drag strip, and no competitor
beside you to watch. Just “stab it and steer it.”
Yet it’s quite the opposite. The salt surface tends to
be slippery at best. With any significant amount of horsepower, even the best
handling vehicle can be a handful. There is the vibration and the fighting
to keep the rear end, connected to the salt by only two tiny patches of treadless
rubber, from swapping places with the front end. It’s a thrill that
few people will ever experience.SCTA — Southern California Timing Association,
Inc.
Formed in 1938, the SCTA is the sanctioning body for land speed
record runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Each year in August, the Southern
California Timing Association and Bonneville Nationals Inc. organize a Speed
Week, which attracts several hundred drivers who compete to set speed records
in a range of categories.
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