Otnas Tamtam – Introduction.
The growing demand of four door saloon from Otnas Automotive has never been bigger before. Otnas initiated the FUTURA project which consists of four main models; the hatchback (Otnas Kucing), the Otnas Tamtam (compact saloon), Otnas Korat (mid-sized sedan), and Otnas Chartreux (full-sized sedan). All models are developed starting from the Esprit models to make sure the chassis is rigid enough for road and track use.
Chassis
Chassis rigidity, other than provides great handling as you tackle the corners, also provides better comfort. The chassis is the base of a car and every part of it is connected into it. The suspension of a car smoothens the ride and optimizes wheel contact to the road. If the suspension is placed on a rigid chassis, the more effective the work of the suspension will be – which means better handling and comfort. All four wheels have double-wishbone suspension with either gas mono tube dampers or adaptive dampers with progressive springs.
FUTURA based cars which have their engine mounted longitudinally, have their engines mounted between the front axles… resulting in a front-mid engine layout. This gives a better handling balance since the centre of gravity is closer to the middle of the car. The Inline 4 models have a weight distribution of 50F/50R. Inline 5 is at 51/49, and Inline 6 is at 53/48.
Powertrain
The Otnas Tamtam is available in four different powertrains. All engines are called FUTURA engines. Otnas FUTURA engines are modular engines that share the same bore and stroke sizes through the lineup. However, some models have smaller stroke sizes to comply what the trim or model needs. All FUTURA engines are fitted with a newly developed technology called “Imperium Fluxus”. In short, Imperium Fluxus is a combo of Variable Valve Timing and Variable Valve Lift. However, the turbodiesel engines don’t receive VVL. Otnas studied variable valve timing tech from aircraft engines, Porsche’s 1958 patent, and Fiat.
To ensure smoothness, all FUTURA engines have either balancer shaft (Inline 4, Inline 5) or a harmonic damper (Inline 6). Otnas is an Indonesian automotive manufacturer. At the time the Otnas Tamtam was launched, fuel in Indonesia was not great so the FUTURA engines were tuned for RON 88 fuel.
Body design
The Otnas Tamtam was designed to provide extra space for the passengers in a compact body. Other main goal of the bodywork is that it should be having at least adequate amount of downforce at 200 km/h whilst having low drag. Under the car, it has a flat undertray to smoothen the air pressure below which means there’s much less lift experienced but the car will still have low drag. On the fenders, there are vents to reduce wind turbulence in the front wheel wells which eliminates lift and improves stability. This also helps the brakes to cool down faster.
Trims
Classic 2.0 MT/AT
The Otnas Tamtam Classic is offered with the FUTURA Inline 4 DOHC 16-valve 2.0-litre engine. The engine puts out 141hp at 6700rpm, and 179.7Nm at 4800rpm. Thanks to Imperium Fluxus, the torque band of the engine is very flat which means the driver can cruise at normal speeds at low rpms – saving fuel and less noise is emitted. The Tamtam Classic 2.0 is available with a 5-speed manual transmission and 4-speed automatic transmission with torque lockup. The Tamtam Classic 2.0’s fuel consumption is rated at 6.8l/100km (41.54 Imperial MPG) for the manual model, and 7.1l/100km (39.8 Imperial MPG) for the automatic model. The Tamtam Classic is offered with a pair of Recaro seats, Four speakers with a Blaupunkt head unit, power windows, central lock, and variable power steering, Torsen LSD, and anti-lock brakes. Safety features include pre-tensioning seat belts, four-wheel disc brakes, safety cage that would hold a high speed rollover crash, drivers airbag, and driver health notification to remind the driver to take a rest after a long drive.
Performance wise, 0 – 100 km/h is at 8.2 seconds (9.0 seconds AT). Top speed is at 228 km/h (219 km/h AT). 20m and 200m skidpad ratings are 0.99 g’s. Body roll rating is at 6.3 degrees, 100 – 0 km/h braking distance is rated at 36.6 metres. The car finishes ¼ mile in 16.15 seconds and a mile in 29.10 seconds. The automatic model however, finishes ¼ mile in 16.86 seconds and a mile in 30.31 seconds. The kerb weight is at 1170kg, and the weight distribution is rated at 49.8F/50.2R.
Classic 2.0 MT model is priced at $14.271. Equal to todays $39.300
Classic 2.0 AT model is priced at $14.598. Equal to todays $40.200
Zen 3.0 MT/AT
The demand for a more upmarket Otnas was high ever since the Japanese bubble economy happened. At the time of the launch of the Otnas Tamtam, Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs, and luxury Japanese cars such as the Toyota Crown were everywhere in the streets of Indonesia. The Zen trim was then made as response to the large market. The Zen trim is powered by a FUTURA Inline 6 3.0 litre DOHC 24-Valve. The engine produces 221hp at 6300rpm, and 280.7 Nm at 4900rpm. Fuel consumption of the manual model is rated at 6.8l/100km (41.5 Imperial MPG) for the manual model and 7.2l/100km (39.23 Imperial MPG) for the automatic model.
Interior equipment includes what is found on the Classic trim, plus Recaro electric seats, Otnas Electronic Dampers, Nakamichi Hi-Fi audio system with 6 speakers + a subwoofer, Torsen LSD, and standard driver and passenger airbags.
Performance wise for the manual model, 0 – 100 km/h in 6.3 seconds (6.55 seconds AT), top speed of 260 km/h (255km/h AT), 20m and 200m skid pad rated at 0.98 g’s, body roll rated at 5.3 degrees, 100 – 0 km/h braking distance is rated at 36.7 metres. The car will finish ¼ mile in 14.23 seconds (14.8 seconds AT), a mile in 25.66 seconds (26.56 seconds AT). Fuel consumption of the manual model is rated at 7.8l/100km (36.2 Imperial MPG) for the manual model and 8.2l/100km (34.45 Imperial MPG) for the automatic model.
Zen 3.0 MT model is priced at $17.612 which is equal to $48.500 today
Zen 3.0 AT model is priced at $17.975 which is equal to $49.500 today
Zen 2.5 Turbodiesel AT
The turbodiesel model was produced for those who wants to have power and fuel efficiency in one car. The FUTURA turbodiesel 2.5-litre Inline 5 DOHC 20V engine produces 199hp at 5100rpm and 345Nm of torque at 2300rpm. The engine has a balancer shaft to cancel the typical diesel engine vibrations. The fuel consumption of the following model is 7.4l/100km (38 Imperial MPG)
The Tamtam Zen 2.5 Turbodiesel is only available with a 4-speed automatic transmission. The reason behind this is that cars with high torque tend to have clutch that are uncomfortable to use in daily use. The 4-speed automatic transmission also could stand much more torque than the 5-speed manual transmission.
All the equipment of the Tamtam Zen 2.5 Turbodiesel is the same as found with the other Tamtam Zen trims.
The 0-100 km/h time is 6.8 seconds, hits 245 km/h top speed, finishes ¼ mile in 15.1 seconds, a mile in 27.16 seconds. The car pulls 0.99 g’s at both 20m and 200m skid pad and stops from 100 km/h to 0 in just 36.5 metres. The body roll rating is rated at 5.3 degrees.
The car is priced at $16.885 or equivalent to $46.500 in today’s money. The Otnas Tamtam Zen 2.5 Turbodiesel is available to be experienced in BeamNG with various tuning parts and a factory tuned configuration from Otnas Esprit Works.
LINK: Otnas Tamtam BeamNG Mod Link Here!
Article for the motorsport derived Esprit 3.0 24-Valve trim will be published soon! For now, enjoy these extra pictures...