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Saturday, December 20, 2008

Mosler MT900S - Road Tests

BY LARRY WEBSTER, PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN J. SEGAL






After a five-year ordeal, Warren Mosler’s dream car is at last ready for prime time.


Power steering is overrated. So says Warren Mosler, the financial brainiac who’s been hoeing his own automotive row for 15 years. This past winter, after a five-year struggle, Mosler finally began delivering the street-legal, EPA-and-DOT-certified MT900S.


At a base price of $190,500, the mid-engine, 405-hp MT900S doesn’t come with power steering, nor is that convenience even available. Do you think the car needs it? asks Mosler. The steering ratio is adjustable, and power assist would only add weight.


And so we arrive at the primary corollary of Warren’s World: Weight is always the enemy. Make the car light enough, and you won’t need power steering.


Mosler’s first crack at a lightweight sports car was the 1991 Consulier. It was indeed light (2166 pounds) and quick, but it had a face that made mama bears eat their cubs. Then, in the late 90s, car designer Rod Trenne produced for Mosler a shape of study-hall dreams. That design became the MT900 (MT stands for Mosler Trenne).


As soon as Mosler had a running prototype in early 2001, we came calling (March 2001). The MT900 used a mid-mounted 350-hp Corvette V-8, a Porsche 911 transmission driving the rear wheels, and plenty of Corvette bits for the suspension and interior. It weighed only 2590 pounds and posted exotic-car performance figures. The sprint to 60 mph soaked up a scant 3.5 seconds, and the quarter-mile flashed by in 12.0 seconds at 118 mph. The price was a steep $163,840.


That was five years ago, and only now has the car cleared the maze-like regulatory hurdles to be deemed legal for sale as a new car. So, what happened?


According to Mosler, engineering the car to meet crash and emissions regulations took more time than anticipated. But also during the past five years, Mosler has sold 13 MT900R race cars to overseas customers. Racing the MT900 was always part of the plan. He began by racing the car in the Grand American Road Racing Association’s Rolex Series in 2001. Most notably, the MT900R won its class at the 2003 Daytona 24-hour race. But Grand American and other sanctioning bodies found it a tough car to classify as it wasn’t yet a production car, nor was it a full-blown prototype racer. So by the end of 2003, U.S. racing options were limited.



The European FIA GT series, however, welcomed the car. Overseas demand for race versions of the MT900 were strong enough that Mosler opened another production facility in Norwich, England, while keeping the doors open at the shop in Riviera Beach, Florida.


Mosler’s 26 employees were kept busy developing the race car and certifying the street car. There were countless tests to run. They had to crash two cars to verify its strength. The front airbags had to be designed and validated. With every hurdle came more engineering challenges and more testing.


While this iterative process chugged along, we invited the MT900 to two Supercar Challenges, even though it hadn’t been certified for public consumption. C/D’s Supercar Challenge is an invitation-only event of souped-up and stock production cars. The Mosler finished fifth in 2002 and fried its clutch in 2004 before completing a run. We wanted some exotics in the mix and were unable to secure a Saleen S7 or a Ferrari Enzo or a McLaren F1, which is part of the reason we let in the Mosler, despite its lack of federal approval. It also helped that many owners and manufacturers of other exotics we invited had an excuse not to show. One guy vocalized what the others were thinking: Why would I risk seeing my $400,000 car get beaten by a Corvette or Viper?


Mosler was, to his credit, fearless. But still, after that second car fried its clutch, we decided to wait until the MT900 was street legal before testing another one. After so many delays, we wondered if that would ever happen. Then, in January, we got a call.


As we mounted the test gear on an MT900S, the crew fidgeted. It was put-up-or-shut-up time, and everyone knew it. We had rented a 200-foot-wide runway in Irvine, California, for the test.


This black car was different in many ways from the prototype we tested in 2001. The engine had been upgraded to the 405-hp last-generation Corvette Z06 version, many of the Corvette pieces were replaced with fabricated parts, and the trimmed interior was gone, replaced with unpainted carbon fiber.


The biggest difference, however, was that this car had an aftermarket addition that it didn’t have for the federal tests”a supercharger that bumped horsepower from 405 to 600. We hadn’t yet weighed the car, but if it was anywhere close to the claimed 2500 pounds, it would have giant-slaying potential.


We opened the scissors-hinged door and slid into the low cockpit. Getting in is easier than it looks because the opening is quite large. The interior is narrow, but there’s plenty of legroom, and the floor-mounted brake and clutch pedals are perfectly placed. We recognized the steering column and turn-signal stalk from a Subaru Impreza WRX. The MT900’s view forward is terrific. You can just see the gills on the tops of the fenders, but otherwise, it feels as if you were sitting on the road.




The engine fired up with a whumpf. We slid the Porsche shifter into first, eased off the surprisingly light clutch, and puttered around to get the feel of it.


While tooling around in second gear, we suddenly stood on the gas and promptly lit up the rear tires. We queued for our first quarter-mile run, put the shifter in first gear, revved the engine to about 1800 rpm, and stepped off the clutch. The rear tires spun hopelessly, so we immediately shifted and then ran through the gears until we reached the end of the runway and cleared 150 mph. Even though we flubbed that first launch, the car still blew past 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.


After about a dozen launches, we gave up on first gear because any time we touched the gas pedal, the tires went up in smoke. So we tried starting in second gear. The results were staggering. The Mosler now inhaled 60 mph in only 3.1 seconds, which is quicker than both the Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo (3.5 and 3.3 seconds). The quarter-mile time was 11 seconds flat at 135 mph (Porsche, 11.2 at 132; Ferrari, 11.2 at 136). Every segment of acceleration performance was similarly astonishing”100 mph in 6.5 seconds and 150 in 13.8.

Next up was the skidpad test, where the MT900 delivered 1.05 g”the same as an Enzo”and copious amounts of understeer. The MT900’s suspension is completely adjustable, so Mosler chief engineer Todd Wagner fiddled with the front and rear anti-roll bars. This fixed the understeer, and then the MT900 recorded a neck-straining 1.08 g, which the number geeks know is the highest we’ve ever recorded for a car on street tires.


No doubt about it: The MT900 is a single-mission speed machine. Once Wagner adjusted the suspension, the handling felt terrific. The car still understeered, but just a light midcorner dab of the brakes would drift out the tail. As fast as it is, you can really hammer the Mosler without feeling as if you were risking your life. The brakes don’t have an anti-lock feature, but the pedal feel is excellent”light, easy to modulate, and with enough movement to feel the edge of lockup. We hauled the car down from 70 mph in only 149 feet.


But those looking for refinement in their supercars will have to shop elsewhere. It’s loud inside. The MT900S idles at 73 dBA, about as much noise as some cars make at full throttle. Mosler asks, Would you want to muffle a Ferrari? Well, no, but that supercharger whine gets irksome in a hurry. Over modest humps and road dips, the Mosler rides quite well, but you definitely get a good whack over freeway expansion joints and potholes. Think barely civilized race car, and you’ve got the idea.



The manual steering offers good feel and feedback. We felt as connected to the road as we do in a Miata. But at low speeds and when you have to make a dramatic steering correction while sliding the car for a photographer, it felt too heavy. Yes, the steering ratio is adjustable, but since that task takes about an hour, we didn’t get a chance to try it out.


The payoff was clear, though, when we weighed the car. At 2539 pounds, the Mosler is at least 500 pounds lighter than a Carrera GT, an Enzo, or a Corvette Z06. So Mosler has stayed true to his weight is the enemy mission. And it’s no longer painful to look at his pride and joy.


MOSLER MT900S Specs


Vehicle type: mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe


Price as tested: $211,300

Price and option breakdown: base Mosler MT900S (includes $600 freight), $190,500; Magnuson supercharger system (includes intercooler, headers, and larger throttle body), $19,000; 2-disc clutch and 6-pound flywheel, $1800

Major standard accessories: power windows and locks, A/C, tilting steering wheel


Sound system: Sony AM-FM radio/CD player, 2 speakers


ENGINE

Type: supercharged and intercooled V-8,

aluminum block and heads

Bore x stroke: 3.90 x 3.62 in, 99.0 x 92.0mm

Displacement: 346 cu in, 5665cc

Compression ratio: 10.5:1

Fuel-delivery system: port injection

Supercharger: Eaton, Roots type


Maximum boost pressure: 6.0 psi

Valve gear: pushrods, 2 valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters

Power (SAE net): 600 bhp @ 6300 rpm

Torque (SAE net): 557 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

Redline: 6500 rpm


DRIVETRAIN

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Final-drive ratio: 3.44:1, limited slip

Gear, Ratio, Mph/1000 rpm, Speed in gears


I, 3.82, 6.1, 40 mph (6500 rpm)

II, 2.15, 10.9, 71 mph (6500 rpm)

III, 1.56, 15.0, 98 mph (6500 rpm)

IV, 1.21, 19.4, 126 mph (6500 rpm)

V, 1.00, 23.4, 152 mph (6500 rpm)

VI, 0.85, 27.6, 179 mph (6500 rpm)


DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 109.0 in

Track, front/rear: 66.0/66.0 in


Length/width/height: 189.0/79.0/44.5 in

Ground clearance: 4.5 in

Drag area, Cd (0.36) x frontal area (20.0 sq ft, est): 7.2 sq ft

Curb weight: 2539 lb

Weight distribution, F/R: 62.3/37.7%

Curb weight per horsepower: 4.2 lb

Fuel capacity: 21.7 gal



CHASSIS/BODY



Type: center section of aluminum honeycomb integral with 2 steel-tube space frames

Body material: carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic


INTERIOR

SAE volume, front seat: 49 cu ft

luggage: 9 cu ft

Front-seat adjustments: fore-and-aft

Restraint systems, front: manual 3-point belts, driver and passenger front airbags


SUSPENSION

Front: ind, unequal-length control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar


Rear: ind, unequal-length control arms with a toe-control link, coil springs, anti-roll bar


STEERING

Type: rack-and-pinion

Steering ratio: 12.0:1

Turns lock-to-lock: 2.0

Turning circle curb-to-curb: 39.0 ft


BRAKES

Type: hydraulic

Front 14.0 x 1.3-in vented disc


Rear 14.0 x 1.3-in vented disc


WHEELS AND TIRES

Wheel size: F: 9.5 x 18 in; R: 12.0 x 20 in

Wheel type: forged aluminum

Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2; F: 275/35ZR-18 95Y, R: 335/30ZR-20 (104Y)

Test inflation pressures, F/R: 25/25 psi

Spare: none


C/D TEST RESULTS

ACCELERATION: Seconds


Zero to 30 mph: 1.7

40 mph: 2.3

50 mph: 2.8

60 mph: 3.1

70 mph: 3.8

80 mph: 5.0

90 mph: 5.7

100 mph: 6.5

110 mph: 7.8


120 mph: 8.9

130 mph: 10.0

140 mph: 12.1

150 mph: 13.8

Street start, 5“60 mph: 3.7

Top-gear acceleration, 30“50 mph: 4.7

50“70 mph: 3.8

Standing ¼-mile: 11.0 sec @ 135 mph

Top speed (redline limited): 179 mph



BRAKING

70“0 mph @ impending lockup: 149 ft

Modulation: poor fair good excellent

Front-rear balance: poor fair good


HANDLING

Roadholding, 200-ft-dia skidpad: 1.08 g

Understeer: minimal moderate excessive



PROJECTED FUEL ECONOMY



EPA city driving: 17 mpg

EPA highway driving: 25 mpg


INTERIOR SOUND LEVEL

Idle: 73 dBA

Full-throttle acceleration: 100 dBA

70-mph cruising: 86 dBA

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