 The
new Zytek designed V8 was the final piece of the puzzle.
Small and
compact, the Panoz V8 should have allowed the design group greater
freedom
in reducing the chassis' frontal area. But according the Andy
Thorby,
"The inlet trumpets should have been cross-over type, rather than
near-vertical:
it was not possible to fit long enough trumpets under an airbox which
would
still allow the driver to see over it. Short trumpets mean
reduced
torque", i.e., the engine's performance had to be compromised in order
to contain it within an engine height package simply equal to the
LMP1's
6.0 liter behemoth. Its lightweight was
an advantage
considering it was some 87 kgs. lighter than the LMP1's
pushrod V8
(111 kgs. vs. 198 kgs.). While the chassis should have reaped
the
benefits of such a small package, in the end the Zytek motor did not
reach
its potential and was at the root of many of the LMP07's
problems. |
Dimensionally
the Mugen engine was larger than the Zytek power unit and it was quite
an engineering challenge to shoe horn the motor into the LMP07's
chassis.