“Your honor, the exhaust pipe was just too tempting”
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So Erin is planning to unveil its next WEC contender… It’s more likely to be an LMP1 car since they already have a Scarlet GTE.
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Well I am ready. I don’t know what I am ready for, but I am ready nonetheless.
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#stopteasing
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At last, the time has come. After all the rumours, spy shots and teasers, Erin is finally ready to unveil the car that will spearhead its return to Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship.
Welcome, everybody, to the ErinSport GT18.
The ErinSport GT18 is an all-new prototype racer that continues the GT name and joins a long line of endurance sportscars designed by Erin. It marks a profound new direction for the Protoypes division of ErinSport, incorporating for the first time groundbreaking hybrid technologies that will revolutionise both motorsport and road cars too in the near future.
Photo by @titleguy1
Having been in development for almost four years, the GT18 is the product of hundreds of thousands of hours of research and development, culminating in an ultra-advanced motorsport machine.
Two powertrains have been developed; one is a more conventional RWD setup powered by a naturally aspirated 5.0l V12, derived from the one used in the Super Aventa. Producing over 690hp, yet remaining incredibly efficient thanks to VVT/L technology and delivery immense amounts of torque, it is a considerable shift away from the conventional engines used in prototype racers, delivering smooth and reliable power.
The other powertrain, however, is where the real innovation has taken place. With help from the X Department, ErinSport have developed a new hybrid technology that we are calling Electrogen.
Introducing Electrogen
Electrogen is a type of series hybrid powertrain that makes a major advancement over conventional forms of this technology: it has no large, bulky batteries. Instead of the engine charging up a battery and then sending power to the motors, Electrogen simply sends the engine’s power directly to the motors, with a clutch in the middle and a small Lithium Ion battery to handle any extra energy.
This means that when the motors don’t require any more energy to be sent to them - such as under braking or when coasting - the engine can disconnect via the clutch and send the surplus electricity to the battery, which is then used up next time electricity is demanded by the motors.
This saves hugely on weight and cost, and also means that this hybrid system doesn’t rely on a battery directly.
Power is delivered from a heavily tuned version of the same Pureon 2.6l i6 found in the Tauga, which is then delivered to two permanent magnet AC electric motors, the rear one of which is equipped with a two-speed double clutch gearbox (an acceleration gear and a cruise gear).
This allows for incredible all-wheel drive acceleration and rear wheel drive high-speed cruising, with a maximum power output from both motors of over 1000 horsepower.
The result of this is an incredibly efficient (in both its drivetypes), incredibly fast and ultra advanced race car that will define ErinSport for years to come and symbolize the world-leading innovation Erin is undertaking as of now. It’s a return to endurance racing, and also a reaffirmation of Erin and ErinSport’s position in the automobile world.
Competitions
As of current, the ErinSport GT18 will be entered into two competitions next year. In AMWEC/WEC, an ErinSport managed team will run the GT18 Hybrid, including competing at Le Mans, whilst a sponsored team, ErinSport America, will run with the GT18 V12 in the Daytona Prototype Class in the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship. Details of this will be released in the near-future.
Specs
| Category | GT18 S1 V12 | GT18 S1 Hybrid |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | Mid-engine, longditunal | ---- |
| Body/Chassis | Carbon Fibre body/Carbon Fibre Tub Chassis with composite lattice frame | ---- |
| Weight | 930kg | 870kg |
| Suspension | All-round double wishbones with pushrod actuated dampers. | ---- |
| Engine | PureonPOWER 5.0l V12 Di VVT/L | Pureon 2.6l i6 Di VVT/L |
| Transmission | 7 Speed DCT, RWD | F: Single speed, R: Two-speed sequential, AWD |
| Power | 693hp @ 9100rpm, 440 ft-lb @ 7200rpm | Engine: 330hp @ 8700rpm, Motors: ~550hp at max output, 870 ft-lb @ all rpm (each) |
| 0-60 | 2.4 seconds | <2 seconds |
| Top Speed | ~225 mph | ---- |
A new generation of endurance racer is upon us, pushing the advancements in hybrid technology and engineering capability further than ever before. The GT18 is the most efficient, most advanced and undoubtedly the fastest prototype racer that ErinSport have ever developed.
Electrogen is also certainly not just for motorsport. The technology on this car, both a product of previous R&D and ongoing projects, will be making its way to cars in the near-future. Further announcements will be made regarding this next year.
For now, ErinSport prepares to return Erin to where it made its name and built its motorsport legacy, Endurance racing.
It’s good to be back, folks!
Big thanks to @titleguy1 for creating a fantastically gorgeous rendering of the livery on the car, your work is so, so appreciated.
Thoughts, comments, critiques, questions, the lot, etc, are all most welcome!
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That is a very interesting idea for a hybrid drivetrain 
Though I see a little problem - power = energy/time, so when using maximum power of the electric motors they would need more energy than the engine could produce, so a small battery would quickly be drained.
And apart from that - just a really cool car with awesome livery And good to see yet another big brand still on Kee 
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@szafirowy01 Glad you brought this up! I did quite a lot of research into the plausability of such a system, so I’m all down to hear any technical critiques or issues with it to further my understanding. Correct me if I’m wrong here, but because the energy generated by the alternator, turned by the engine, is going straight to the motor, surely the only limitations would be a) how fast the engine can spin the alternator and b) how much fuel is in the car?
Thanks for the comments though! 
Never mind the tech, I love the paint scheme!
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Given the fact that the LMP body hasn’t been remade for UE4, this is still one of the best-looking - and most advanced - race cars I have ever seen on these forums, and even that may be an understatement!
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The problem with any series hybrid is the energy conversion losses, since you’re going from mechanical energy from the engine to electrical and then back to mechanical at the wheels, which is considerably less efficient than sending power to the wheels directly.
The benefit of a series hybrid is that the engine is disconnected from the wheels, meaning that the engine can run at maximum efficiency or maximum power when the wheels are stationary or at low speed. This makes it good for stop and go traffic, but not so much for racing, where you’re already likely to be in the high efficiency/high power part of the torque curve.
Moreover, the benefit of a series hybrid is maximized with a larger battery, since you can charge up the battery with the engine when there is zero torque demand at the wheels. If you’re using a series hybrid just to power the wheel motors, with the engine constantly changing RPM to match torque demand from the motors (since it cannot overcharge a small battery), then it will be less efficient than a parallel hybrid, because of the conversion losses.
Also, I believe what szafirowy said was correct: a 330hp engine cannot turn the alternator fast enough to provide constant power for two 550hp motors.
Now, what I think could be very interesting is a Koenigsegg Regera type direct drive hybrid, which is like a series hybrid except the engine can be connected to the wheels at high speed where it is best, while letting electric motors take care of the lower speed acceleration.
So, sorry to burst your bubble there, but knowing about hybrid architectures is basically my job
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So as soon as hybrids come into Automation we are all doomed 
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Absolutley not, I’m really keen to learn more about this in anyway possible so I really appreciate this. Probably needs some tweeking then, and a redesign to make it more realistic.
Would it be fair to say then that to power one 550hp motor, you’d need at least a 550hp engine? Obviously that simplifies it all hugely but I think you get the picture
For a series hybrid, then yes, since power from the engine is being converted to power for the motors. But for a parallel hybrid, the power output is additive, since they drive the wheels together. This is the key difference between series and parallel hybrids.
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Right! Gotcha. Back to the drawing bored to desgin something that obeys the laws of conservation of energy a little better…thanks
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Now we REALLY need AMWEC. Damn it 
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We must hold hope!
It would be so cool to have this run against an Eau Rouge in AMWEC trim though. De-tune the engine, low as hell boost, lean it out, would provide for great power still and try to compete with GT18 on economy runs while still fast. Sigh. We can only hope.
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2016 Erin Tauga 370X & 2017 Erin Tauga SB
Finally UE4-ified!
The sporty, hardcore version of Erin’s mid-size executive sedan. The Tauga 370X is a 183 mph four door rocket, the aims to offer something a little more down to Earth than rival performance sedans. It’s not the most powerful - just 418 hp from its 3.7l N/A V6; it’s not the fastest, with a 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds; it’s certainly not the most well equipped, steering clear of tons of electric performance features. And by god, do not buy this car if you want something comfortable. It is positively opposed to that.
Instead, it offers a thoroughly voracious driving experience. This lightweight, nimble sedan is less about the numbers and more about satisfaction; it dances through corners, soars with its V6 war cry and loves being pushed to the edge.
Better still, its 6 speed manual gearbox means you’ll get to shout down all of your car friends by saying your ride is ‘more engaging’ to drive.
£49,860
It’s worth making a note about that V6; previously a 3.3l V6, cost restrictions and the rebalancing in UE4 means we’ve had to up it to a 3.7l V6. It still has its classic super oversquared layout, and still packs VVTL and high performance components.
Count this as a lore change!
The special, unique 2 door Shooting Brake version of the Tauga X (just pretend that those rear doors aren’t there), and with the extra addition of all wheel drive. It’s a different experience; the power is weightier, the acceleration is harder and the drive is more sonorous.
And with that sleek, sexy wagon body style, you get to have all the fun of the sedan variant in a proper estate. Don’t ask us to explain why it’s better, we all know wagons just are.
This is the one for the real enthusiast. The one who happily chooses style over substance, who knows that sometimes, a car has to go as well as it looks for it to be worth owning.
£54,890
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