The Kirkham Motorsports
“RUSH”
Opens a new class of
Extreme Vehicles.
The first thing you notice as you slide into the racing seats, grasp the Momo steering wheel, and dream about a canyon drive or hitting that perfect apex in your new Kirkham Motorsports “RUSH” is there are no traditional gauges in the dash--in fact, there is no dash. All gauges are mounted in the steering wheel with a STACK system--the very same people who make them for Formula 1 race teams. In fact, the entire focus of the “Rush” is directed toward making the driver feel like he is in control of a race car--on the street.
The innovative chassis design allows for the open cockpit to be extremely rigid yet exceptionally light. The chassis is made from polished, tubular stainless steel. Advanced CAD design allows the Rush chassis to weigh in at just under 200 pounds! The chassis is designed with a venturi tunnel under the chassis to feed the radiator. The radiator fans then suck air from under the chassis through the tunnel and exhaust it behind the car to enhance down force.
Over the years Kirkham Motorsports has had many customers who are 6'5” or taller want to purchase our cars--but they don't fit. We are lucky enough to have a good friend who is 7'1” tall who graciously agreed to be our model and we built the “Rush” around him. Finally, there is a true “Chariot of Fire” for men both big and tall.
The suspension was meticulously modeled with the latest, most sophisticated, CAD software available--to give the ultimate roll centers, absolute minimal bump steer, and near perfect camber gain. The suspension was carefully modeled to WORK--unlike many designers who seem to endlessly compromise their suspensions to follow Colin Chapman's famous saying, “Any suspension will work--if you don't let it.” Our exacting design allows the RUSH to use very soft 95 pound springs in the front and 200 pound springs in the rear for a nice, comfortable, yet very sporting ride.
The push rod suspension design allows for a 1:1 wheel rate. This is very advantageous as it allows the shocks to move considerably more than a conventional design. Shocks work much better if they are allowed to move as far as possible compared to wheel movement as even very subtle suspension movements can now be more easily controlled.
Finally, taking a strong lesson from our small block cars, the car was designed to be as light and as nimble as possible. The final weight of a car is very dependent on wheel, tire, engine, brake, and transmission combination (all customer choice). The car was designed to weigh in at around 1300-1500 pounds. Regardless of the customer choice of engine, the power to weight ratio will be staggering.
The first ones have already been sold to previous customers who came by during construction and decided they had to have one. We are still working out final pricing and options, (the car was only finished for the show on Monday).
SEMA RUSH Specifications: (production specifications will vary due to customer preferences.)
BRAKES:
Massive 13 inch Brembo vented, cross-drilled rotors grace all 4 corners
ENGINE
Ford 3.5 liter Duratec-Forced induction, Vortech Supercharged
TRANSMISSION
Ford 6 speed automatic--with paddle shift
CHASSIS
2 inch tubular stainless steel.
SUSPENSION
Front: Independent, Push Rod
Rear: Independent, Push Rod
SHOCKS:
Penske, double adjustable, racing shocks...cockpit adjustable with Hyperco Springs
DASH:
STACK instrument cluster mounted on the steering wheel.
WHEELS:
Ford Motorsports Racing part number M-1007-F500B
TIRES:
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3
Front: 255/35-YR18
Rear: 275/35-ZR18
David
ps. now you know what we have been doing for the past few months and why we have been so quiet. I can't wait for next year.
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