#2017 Monolith S340D1 Blitz
In 2017 Monolith motors has managed to lock itself in a marketing fight with Saminda after a provocative banner thought up by Saminda’s marketing department. As hits were exchanged by the advertisers it was clear that the battle needed a definitive winner. Enter Kraft Haus Technik time attack division. The idea was that a show car by KHT would drive some sales home, but KHT had different ideas.
Saminda’s advertisment, which started the whole ordeal
As the team received their 3 Monoliths for modification, it became very clear that this is not what KHT usually stands for - an efficient utility pickup, good for the city and mild offroading. This, however was not a huge problem, as Miles Phillips, KHT senior test driver and the leader of the time attack division decided that the best way to improve the car was not mere badge engineering, but to prove that this has speed.
Monolith S series was anything but a sporty performer
The 3.4 liter diesel engine was first on the agenda. Simple chip tuning did little in the terms of the results, providing a 25% power increase at best, so a new route had to be found. After countless experiments and some trial and error (which resulted in one of the engines blown) KHT has finally reached the minimum input - maximum gain. Replacing the head gasket with a thicker MLS unit, to hold more boost from a new custom hybrid turbocharger was all the work on the main engine components ever needed. The turbocharger did not receive a filter and a new exhaust route was created leaving the car through the front quarterpanel. A remap of a very versatile Monolith ECU proved successful in running a less technically advanced and more power oriented turbo, resulting in power output of 400hp and 640nm, instead of the original 245hp and 580Nm.
The engine was a challenge for the engineers, but the track testing proved even more time consuming task. Naturally the AWD highrise tower of lumbering menace was impressive in the farmlands and on motorways, scaring small cars out of it’s lane, but the chassis needed to handle. At first the body was taken care of, by removing all the excess detailing that could spoil the air flow, finished off by a custom CF splitter and a small wing with a manually operated DRS system. The body panel gaps were filled in using the high tec solution of foaming them and then cutting them so the doors and hood could close and open. Most of the air intakes were taped off. At that point the car proved good in a straight line, but little else on the track.
Following the regular pattern KHT has worked on removing the extra weight off the truck, and the interior was first to go. Stripped down to bare metal, carbon fiber bucketseats were installed along with a Motec dashboard and an Adelaide RS steering wheel, which was lying around in the workshop. The cockpit was finished off with a rollcage to provide for safety of the driver after the removal of all airbags.
Early tests of cars with this setup proved quite promising, but sadly resulted in another of the 3 cars being destroyed, this time rolled in the gravel trap after bouncing off a guard rail. There was only 1 car left and KHT had to make it count.
The Stock S340D1, as can be bought in any Monolith dealership
As this was finished the suspension received a light overhaul. Racing shocks and springs along with stiffer swaybars allowed the car to lose most of it’s offroad clearance , but gain composure and racing stance. To help stop the beast Carbon ceramic brake rotos and huge calipers off a KHT Mistral prototype were also installed.
In this form the prototype has shown even better results, but as luck would have it, it was not that simple, sadly after a run in with an overly aggressive rumble strip the last of the S340D1’s provided by Monolith has damaged the gearbox in the process of crashing out. The body was not damaged, and the drivetrain took most of the hit, so KHT simply used this as an option to replace the gearbox with a 4 speed hurst racing transmission, overhaul the diffs for a better suited drive ratio, installed custom lightweight wheels wrapped in racing slicks. In this guise the car saw the press event for Monolith, where along the AWD offroad adventure the journalists had a chance to be driven around the track in the S340D1 Blitz (lightning) by KHT.
The S340D1 Blitz by KHT shares a lot of parts with it’s brothers, but little in terms of how it uses it
The car made enough noise in the car enthusiast community to be demanded a Nurburgring lap time. KHT and Monolith obliged, and as Saminda were making big claims about their C2000R hatch dispatching the nordschleife in 7:51.5, the bulky pickup truck took the course and secured a 7:50.95 while returning a steady 8L/100km economy. The feat created a lot of memes coursing the internet, and an influx of interest to Monolith.
(Note this car only uses +5 aero (foam) and +5 tires (slicks), in case you wish to compete on similar terms)