DODGE TOMAHAWK
 | |
| Manufacturer | Dodge |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Chrysler |
| Production | 9 units total, 2003–2006[1][2] |
| Class | Concept vehicle |
| Engine | 8.3 L (506.5 cu in) 20-valve 90° V-10[3] |
| Power | 500 hp (370 kW) @ 5600 rpm [3] (45 kW:L power:displacement ratio) |
| Torque | 525 lb·ft (712 N·m)[3] |
| Transmission | 2-speed manual[3] |
| Suspension | Front: Horizontal double fork[3] |
| Brakes | Front: 16 piston discs, Rear: 8 piston disc[3] |
| Tires | Front (2): 20"x4", Rear (2): 20"x5" |
| Wheelbase | 76 in (1,900 mm)[3] |
| Dimensions | L: 102 in (2,600 mm)[3] W: 27.7 in (700 mm) H: 36.9 in (940 mm) |
| Seat height | 29 in (740 mm) |
| Weight | 1,500 lb (680 kg)[3] (wet) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.35 US gal (12.7 l; 2.79 imp gal) |
The Art Deco design was the work of Chrysler staff designer Mark Walters and featured the 500 hp (370 kW) 8.3-litre (510 cu in) V10 SRT10 engine from the Dodge Viper.[6] The vehicle has two front wheels and two rear wheels, making it a kind of motorised quadricycle rather than a typical motorcycle.[5][not in citation given] The pairs of wheels move independently, allowing it to countersteer and lean in turns like a motorcycle.[3]
Hand-built replicas of the Tomahawk were offered for sale through the Neiman Marcus catalog at a price of US$ 555,000, and up to nine of them might have sold.[1][2] Dodge emphasized that the bikes were "rolling sculptures" not intended to be ridden.[1][3]
Contents
[hide]Design[edit]
The Art Deco design was the work of Chrysler staff designer Mark Walters and featured the 500 hp (370 kW) 8.3-litre (510 cu in) V10 SRT10 engine from the Dodge Viper.[6] The concept originated with two DaimlerChrysler employees and motorcycling fans, clay modeler Bob Schroeder and vehicle build specialist Dave Chyz, who wanted to place a Viper engine into a motorcycle chassis. They eventually took the idea to Freeman Thomas, DaimlerChrysler VP of advanced design, who in turn approached Walters. Thomas introduced his own concept, for a bike inspired by the four-wheeler in the film, Tron. Walters developed the idea, and it was eventually presented to Chrysler Group Chief Operating Officer, Wolfgang Bernhard, and CEO, Dieter Zetsche.[6]Mechanical design and fabrication were outsourced, with the project headed by Kirt Bennett of RM Corporation, a custom automotive building and restoration shop in Michigan.[5]
Fabrication[edit]
Most of the Tomahawk's components were custom-milled from blocks of aluminum.[3]Performance claims[edit]
As introduced in 2003, the one-of-a-kind Tomahawk was operational and road-ready, but not fully road-tested, and acceleration and top speed were not confirmed; Dodge described the vehicle as "automotive sculpture," intended for display only.[1]Handling[edit]
Independent suspension on all four wheels is designed to allow the rider to countersteer and lean into turns like a motorcycle, at up to 45 degrees with all four wheels in contact with the ground.[3] A low center of gravity, accomplished by situating the engine as low to ground as possible, provides greater control at low speeds, and a low saddle allows riders to place both feet on the ground when stopped, for greater stability.[6] A rear suspension lock lets the vehicle stand on its own, unsupported.[3] A request from one publication to test the Tomahawk's performance were refused, and Dodge declined the same publication a request to interview the company's test riders, or to relay their riding impressions.[3]Top speed[edit]
Dodge initially announced the top speed of the Tomahawk was estimated at 420 mph (680 km/h), but later revised this downward to 300 mph (480 km/h), and spokesmen did not answer questions on how this estimate was calculated.[3] Wolfgang Bernhard, Chrysler Group chief operating officer at the time, said in 2003 that no one had ridden the Tomahawk faster than 100 mph (160 km/h).[4]Speculation about the Tomahawk's top speed came from the media, and within DaimlerChrysler. One Dodge representative said, "If a 3400-pound Viper goes 190, this'll go 400, easy."[5] Senior designer Walters, who was in charge of the Tomahawk project, said he did not believe published speeds of 400 mph were possible, noting that the bike was geared for acceleration, and if geared for speed, 250 mph (400 km/h) would be within reach.[6]
Jeff Karr, in Motorcyclist magazine, agreed that perhaps 250 mph was conceivable, according to rough calculations suggesting that motorcycles with far less drag, like the Suzuki Hayabusa and Kawasaki ZX-12R would need on the order of 460 hp to reach only 300 mph, and so the Tomahawk with at least 50% more drag than those bikes, would have to have on the order of 700 hp to even attain 300 mph, given that drag increases as the square of speed.[7] Without protection from wind blast and a secure riding position, however, approaching a speed like 250 mph would be unsafe.[5][7]
Joe Teresi, of Easyriders magazine and owner of the world record setting motorcycle ridden by Dave Campos, said the top speed estimate must have been based only on horsepower and final drive ratio, and ignored the "critical factors" of frontal area, drag coefficient, and rolling resistance.[3] Dodge declined offers to put the top speed claim to a test, and no one is known to have attempted to ride the Tomahawk to its maximum speed.[1][3][8] Dodge spokesman David Elshoff said that Tomahawk would someday be taken for a run at the Bonneville Speedway,[3] but no such attempt was ever made.[citation needed]
Campos doubted the Tomahawk could reach 200 mph (320 km/h) because at high speeds, the rider would be "lifted right off the bike" without a fairing, and the four-wheel steering could also be a problem.[3] Phil Patton of the New York Times wrote, "In theory, the Tomahawk can blast from a standing start to 60 miles an hour in two and a half seconds and reach 300 miles an hour. In practice, since Evel Knievel retired, it's hard to imagine anyone willing to prove it."[9] Cycle World 's John Phillips derided the top speed claims[weasel words] by stating that at the Detroit Auto Show, "Cadillac unveiled its own paen to one-upmanship a mere 50 yards away — a luxo sedan with a V-16 producing 1000 bhp. Twice the Tomahawk's output. Which means — at least by Dodge's amusingly convoluted logic — that Caddy's engine could propel the bike to 800 mph."[5]
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