The Splinter Is An Honest-To-Goodness Drivable Sports Car Made Of Wood
There's no shortage of bizarre automobile designs that cause a moment of pause. Just look at this list of the weirdest one-off cars ever built, which includes the Sir Vival and its odd pivoting attachment. Although, the uniqueness of the Splinter is unmatched — not in terms of design, but in the material used to construct it, wood. Sure, the natural material is used for building homes and is a central component to most furniture. But a car?
With certain exceptions, such as the engine, nearly everything else on the Splinter is made from composite wood. The chassis, interior, hinges, control arms, exterior, and even parts of the wheels utilize lumber. Essentially, if you were to begin stripping away wood from the completed project, you would end up with nothing resembling or functioning like a car. The wood isn't simply used as a surface level cosmetic; rather, it extends all the way into the heart of the Splinter model.
Weighing about 2,600 pounds, it comes equipped with a mid-engined V8 (small-block), a six-speed manual gearbox, and custom wood centered wheels. We were even able to speak with Joe Harmon awhile back, the creator behind this model, who offered up some details surrounding the original build. He told us that he used "CTS-V parts to go from the LS (engine) to the T56 (transmission)." Essentially, the project included some Chevy Corvette DNA, helping to bolster its performance pedigree. Today, according to Splintersupercar.com, the one-of-a-kind wooden vehicle is estimated to output around 690 horsepower with the help of a custom exhaust and camshaft.
How does the predominantly wood-built car avoid catching fire?
When first getting a glance of the Splinter, you might wonder how much of it is actually wood. However, it probably also crossed your mind that engines get really hot, and wood burns. Depending on the type of wood, it can ignite starting around 540 degrees Fahrenheit. Certain parts of the engine, like the exhaust components, can hit temperatures between 300 and 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit. It's not like regular metal vehicles can't ignite out of nowhere, as a water bottle can start a fire in your car by acting like a magnifying glass and focusing the sun's rays. But the increased risk of wood burning meant the Splinter had to be modified to minimize the fire risks.
Instead of the normal orientation you'd find in a mid-engine sports car, the folks behind Splinter had the engine's cylinder heads reversed. Exhaust could then disperse over the top of the power plant, preventing contact with wooden components. In addition, large vents were also factored into the design, helping to move hot air away more effectively. However, it's not clear how well this works at high speeds, as creator Joe Harmon has yet to take it above 30 mph, according to autoevolution.
The Splinter is cool, but why build a sports car out of wood?
First launched by students as a university project, the Splinter proved to be too compelling to remain within the halls of academia. But it wasn't purely a passion project created simply for fun. Rather, Splinter was meant to convey a message about the strength and potential wider use of wood, one of humanity's oldest building materials. It's not a call to start making all vehicles out of wood composite, but it was made to spur on creative uses for the material beyond its traditional applications.
While steel is considered robust, tests have shown superior performance with wood against external pressure and longevity. One man on the run from police experienced the power of this natural substance firsthand as trees fought back against his vehicular rampage, disabling his ride and leading to his capture. Some organizations are even personally modifying wood's structure by using chemicals, compression, and finishes, producing a product that's even more resilient than traditional options.
The benefit of wood isn't just its sheer toughness under load when compared to some metals, but also the fact that it's renewable. While steel and aluminum can undergo recycling, new metals require considerable time to form under Earth's surface. Then, they need to be mined and processed, whereas trees can continually be planted and harvested.
