THE Spyros Panopoulos Project Chaos is determined to put Greece on the hypersports map — yes, Greece… Does it seem far-fetched? Well… and why not? Nowadays there is a Swedish Koenigsegg or a Croatian Rimac. Nations that, not so long ago, we would never say could be the cradle of some of the most amazing hypersports ever.
Spyros Panopoulos is the name of the founder of the eponymous Spyros Panopoulos Automotive and, until now, he was best known for being the owner of eXtreme Tuners. The Greek coach was known for creations like its record-breaking Mitsubishi Evolution, which covered 402 m of a drag track in just 7.745s at 297 km/h! Or, for a Gallardo of… 3500 hp!
The decision to now create, from scratch, his own car comes from the desire of Spyros Panopoulos to show what a true hyper sports car should be. So much so that he claims that his Project Chaos will give rise to a whole new category of cars: the ultracars, or ultracars.
Well, looking at the (very large) numbers already advanced we are inclined to agree with it: 2000 hp to start the conversation, 3000 hp in the most powerful version , and expected accelerations in the region of 2-3 g. Numbers that have the feel of… insane.
start from scratch
Virtually everything we'll see in Project Chaos will be starting from scratch, developed and designed by Spyros Panopoulos Automotive, starting with the engine.
This is a V10 with 4.0 l capacity and two turbos . How do they manage to extract 2000 hp and 3000 hp — 500 hp/l and 750 hp/l, respectively — without “melting” the comparatively compact block? Not only are the two turbochargers of considerable dimensions, the materials and type of construction used are unusual, but necessary to achieve such high numbers.
The vast majority of components that are part of the engine (and not only) use 3D printing. It is what makes possible the design of the components worthy of a science fiction film, with an extremely organic appearance, that we can see in the images.
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Pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft, but also brake calipers or rims use this method of construction. And the materials couldn't be more exotic.
The appearance of the connecting rod and piston structure is worthy of a science fiction movie.
In the… base version, with a mere… 2000 hp at 11,000 rpm, the 4.0 V10 has two 68 mm turbochargers built in carbon fiber, the camshafts are in titanium, as well as the pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft, and the valves in Inconel.
To reach 3000 hp, the 4.0 V10 sees its maximum revs ceiling rise to 12 000 rpm, the turbochargers grow up to 78 mm, the pistons exchanged for ceramic ones and the connecting rods for carbon fiber ones.
Passing the exaggerated numbers to the ground will be in charge of an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox with, understandably, four-wheel drive. Although, it seems, only 35% of the total force of the all-powerful V10 will reach the front axle.
It's impossible not to shed a tear in anticipation of the poor tires that will have to deal with these numbers.
The intricate design of the titanium wheels is only possible due to the 3D printing
These, as you can imagine, are being developed specifically for Project Chaos. What is known for now is that they are 355mm wide (we assume at the back), and involve wheels 22″ in diameter and 13″ wide — at the front a more modest 21″ rims with 9″ wide are used. They can also be made of titanium or carbon fiber.
Must be quick, no?
With these numbers, and with the promise of being relatively light — the weight-to-power ratio should be, in the case of the 3000 hp version, of… 0.5 kg/hp (!) — the advanced performances are overwhelming, but still the need, of course, confirmation.
The rear optics are also the result of 3D printing, being in Matrix LED
The 100 km/h arrives in 1.8s, but the values that leave our eyes wide open are the meager 2.6s from 100 to 200 km/h, or the even shorter 2.2s from 160 to… 240 km/h . Project Chaos has what it takes to be the fastest car in the world — joining candidates Jesko Absolut, Tuatara and Venom F5 — while also promising to reach 500 km/h.
Getting to stop this… ultracar takes on crucial importance. Magnesium tweezers, also printed, bite huge ceramic discs 420 mm in diameter that must guarantee all the necessary power to effectively stop this monster worthy of Greek mythology.
Ceramic discs and the most radical brake calipers ever.
More exotic than… exotic
Keeping everything in place is a very rigid and light monocoque in Zylon — a thermoset in polyoxazole with a liquid-crystalline structure — an extremely strong material, but also very light, which surpasses the most common, in this universe of hypersports, fiber of carbon. Zylon is currently used in some components for Formula 1 single-seaters and… spacecraft.
Complementing the monocoque are aluminum substructures at the front and rear, the bodywork is in carbon fiber and there are also parts in Kevlar. The seats are built into the monocoque itself.
The showoff of exotic materials continues on the exhausts, using Inconel, carbon fiber and titanium for its constitution… And of course, it is also printed.
Although it hasn't been revealed yet, Spyros Panopoulos Automotive has already let slip some more features of Project Chaos. It will be quite short, just 1.04 m tall, and very wide, 2.08 m wide, precisely twice as high. We also already know that it will be able to produce 1740 kg of downforce.
connected interior
If the engine and chassis reveal a strong technological content, the interior won't be far behind — Project Chaos promises to be a very well connected and extreme machine. It will have a 5G connection, and a very advanced head-up display, with augmented reality technology.
When arrives?
The public presentation date was scheduled to take place in March 2021, on the occasion of the Geneva Motor Show. As we recently learned, there will be no Geneva Motor Show (also) next year. Now we will have to wait for Spyros Panopoulos Automotive to announce when and how this insane ultracar will be revealed to the world.
Unlike other extreme machines like the Devel Sixteen — the 5000 hp monster — the odds are more favorable to seeing Project Chaos on the road. eXtreme Tuners has a very interesting track record in developing mechanical components to support the insane numbers of horses in their setups, so this new machine created from the ground up is the practical application of lessons learned over the years.
Now we have to wait for 2021 for Spyros Panopoulos Automotive to demonstrate that Project Chaos can do what it promises.
Sources: Carscoops and Drive Tribe.