Hello and welcome to Orkan Tech, the manufacturer of the turbine supercar. The turbine supercar project is the brainchild of Orkan Tech founder and chief designer, Mike Hamer. The official name of the turbine supercar is the ''T2''.
The T2, and, in fact, the entire turbine supercar project was inspired by the amazing success of the Marine Turbine Technologies Y2K superbike. The Y2K used a Rolls-Royce gas turbine that was originally used to power the Bell Jet Ranger helicopter. The idea of fitting a helicopter engine into a motorbike was indeed a mad one, but it brought about great results. The Y2K rocketed into the Guiness book of records as the most powerful and fastest motorcycle ever produced. It had a claimed top speed of 250 mph, and officially achieved 229.
This success resulted in a spark of imagination for the guy who would become the founder of Orkan Tech, Mike Hamer. He reasoned that if these results were attainable for a motorbike, then what would the possibilities for a turbine powered car, yes indeed, a turbine powered supercar be? This resulted in the start of the Turbine Supercar Project.
The T2's technical requirements were relatively simple on paper, but achieving them was another thing. It would be powered by two of these Rolls-Royce turbine engines, one located in the front, and one in the back. The power output of the turbines would also be upgraded more than that of the Y2K. Each engine would produce 420 bhp @ 52,000 rpm, and around 480 Lb/ft of torque. The resulting spec sheet gave the T2 impressive credentials: 840 bhp at an astonishing 104,000 combined rpm, and a whopping 960 Lb/ft of torque! And considering that these power figures were to be strapped into a car that weighed just 975 kgs, the resulting hopes of Veyron humbling performance would have to be held off until the stability and safety of the T2 could be assured.
Thankfully, these potential problems were sorted primarily by ensuring that the body shape provided enough downforce and high speed stability. The body design was finally decided to be quite similar to the shape and style of the 9FF GT9 supercar. This body style provided the frontal aerodynamics, rear and underbay downforce systems, and pleasing visual appeal that were befitting of a turbine powered supercar.
When the T2 prototype was finally finished, Orkan arranged for it to have a few test runs around the banked Nardo circuit in Italy. On the day of testing, the T2 performed well, achieving top speeds well in excess of 240 mph, whilst recording phenominal 0-200 mph times on the way. After 1 month of track testing at Nardo in Italy and the Nurburgring in Germany, Orkan decided that they could now present the T2 supercar to the public. This was done in the same year of testing, when the T2 was officially unveiled at the Geneva Motorshow. Posing alongside other new blooming stars of the Ubercar world, the T2 made a huge public impression. The public assurance that the T2 was going to take no prisoners was clearly shown when Orkan boss, Mike Hamer, started it up on its slowly rotating stand. ''Clunk - whooosh - clunk - whiiiIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR'', went the twin RR motors, ''idling'' at a mere 40,000 combined rpm. The resulting high pitched whine of the two turbines resonated around the entire building with a shriek not unlike that of a Jetliner. The crowds were, suffice to say, very pleased with this newcomer to the supercar club. The T2 was ready for business.
Here are a rundown of the T2's main specifications:
x2 Rolls-Royce Allison 250 Gas Turbine's
840 bhp @ 104,000 rpm (combined)
960 Lb/ft torque @ 40,000 rpm (combined)
120,000 combined rpm redline
Front and rear engined
Four wheel drive
0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.4 seconds
0-100 mph (0-160 km/h) in 4.2 seconds
0-200 mph (0-321 km/h) in 13 seconds
Max speed: 276 mph (444 km/h)
Dry weight: 975 kgs
Total weight (including liquids): 1,020 kgs
bhp/tonne: 823.5
bhp/kilo: 0.8
Price: £600,000
Production: 12 per year
