Carlos Salaff Project Caden

Thanks John!

 

With Caden's aluminum monocoque nearly complete, the rear stainless steel subframe is being constructed. The rear subframe will support the engine/gearbox and rear suspension.

These photos show the structure tack-welded together, with temporary fixtures at the front and rear. There are a few more tubes to put into the subframe, as well as the roll hoop structure on the tub. A removable cross brace will also be made for the subframe, for easier access to the drivetrain.
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With the sides and bottom of the subframe tacked together, Caden's drivetrain is going in. the BMW V10 and Porsche 6-speed manual box are positioned, and mounts being fabricated. It's so cool to finally see the beast's heart in there
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Check out part 2 of the Core77 series "How to Build Your Own Supercar" which follows the Project Caden story.

The interview gets into the philosophy and design work-in-progress for the interior.

How to Build Your Own Supercar, Part 2 - Core77

 

Thanks!

 

A couple of interior shots of the in-progress digital model.

The philosophy behind the interior is to continue the exterior theme-- blending timeless values and vintage racing inspiration with progressive design.

Central seating, manual shifting, analog controls and exposed mechanicals expressed through a forward thinking and clean design language.
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304 Stainless has a lot of attractive qualities that appeal to me in this application. Its rustproof quality and natural beauty without needing surface coatings fit the "naked" them of Project Caden. But it has other upsides too.

Here's a cool article about a Formula 5000 race car from the 60's called the McKee MK12. It had an all-stainless spaceframe. McKee partnered with Armco steel, who gave them the material to experiment with on their cars.

Paul Dudiak's McKee Mk12c Formula A / Formula 5000 Racecar

A paragraph graph that stands out is:

McKee Engineering found Grade 304 ("18/8") stainless steel is an excellent material for many fabricated racecar suspension parts. Obviously it doesn't rust and it doesn't need to be painted. TIG welding 304 isn't difficult, weldments don't need heat treatment (like Chrome Moly), and 304 isn't susceptible to hydrogen
embrittlement (like chromed parts.) Tensile strength is superior to mild steel. Possibly more importantly, ductility is superior, so it's more fatigue resistant and less prone to cracking in minor accidents. It's easy to inspect for cracks and to repair. Downside? Unless you're sponsored by Armco Steel, it's expensive.

Pretty sweet vintage racecar, too.

All that said, there are other metals that I'd like to incorporate in the future, as each metal has certain qualities that serve different purposes. But for this project I even passed up CFRP because I am more concerned with creating a specific, special driving experience than getting a few more 10ths of a second per lap. If that were the case I'd put in a paddle shifter as well.

 

A snapshot of my desk and a view into the creative process behind ‪‎Project Caden‬. A pad of paper and a pen to produce quick idea sketches, and a computer to test and develop those ideas in 3d as quickly as possible. It's not a linear process, as surprises and opportunities await as soon as a sketch is experimented with in 3d.

This is a view of Caden's instrument panel, and various doodles for the gauge pod and hood.
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Thanks Denis, will do!

Your comment re: glare is a concern of mine as well. As soon as the instrument panel and glass are rough-fit, I will throw something red on there to check.

Unless it causes very strong glare, i'll probably roll with it for wow-factor on the prototype/show car, but we'll see.

 

Thinking on Project Caden's track configuration.

I'm designing Caden with two settings for road and track. Some may want a dedicated track machine. It will be interesting to see what the mix of customer configurations is, especially in light of the dedicated track cars that have emerged from Ferrai, McLaren, Aston Martin and Pagani.
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Hey Pete,

Caden is all about visceral, connected, man-machine experience. From the start the project has been inspired by 60's to 80's era racers like the Group C cars. Only makes sense to me to offer a track-oriented experience with Caden. It's the fullest expression of its inspiration.

It's not about the lap times, but the way the engine sounds, its vibrations going through your seat back and shifter, the view through the windshield etc. As you said, connection and enjoyment.

 

Developing the theme of vintage race car soul, evolved.

I spent some quality time the past couple of weeks developing the gauge cluster hood, door trim and seat pad design of Project Caden's interior.
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A bird's eye view of interior design progress on ‪‎Caden‬.

In keeping with the theme of blending modern design with vintage values, the pilot sits on center and controls via analog connection.
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