Unveiling… the Maestro House “Entropy”
An 800+ HP monster descends onto the streets of L.A…
The trip from San Diego to Los Angeles could not have taken longer. You would think leaving early in the morning would beat the traffic, but as it turns out, many people have the same idea as you. Guess 6am isn’t early enough. But for Mr. Wolfram, it gave him enough time to think. He knew it wouldn’t be much longer before his latest project would finally start showing its teeth, and this belief would soon be tested in L.A’s street racing scene.
The idea for the car wasn’t too far fetched. Using Norðwagen’s Ragnarøk S-6x2 as a basis purchased at an auction (and at a steal he says), Mr. Wolfram’s focus was to combine his recent time-attack expertise with a build that could also be used directly on the street. His first step into recognizing his vision was to design the exterior.
The demo car, nicknamed Entropy, is Maestro House’s most recent project; a shining example of the knowledge Wolfram has gained over nearly a decade of tuning experience.
First to change was the paint. The car was repainted in M.H’s “Warmouth White”, but opted to expose their carbon fiber roof. A large chrome M.H Racing decal sits diagonally across the rear fender. The aero kit was designed in collaboration with Japan-based Dynamica, who developed the front splitter and canards, sideskirts, rear diffuser, roof scoop and wing.
For the front half, the headlights were now converted almost exclusively into air intakes. Twin deep vents on the hood provided cooling for the front-mounted oil cooler. At the rear, the Norðwagen’s bumper grille got a redesign. Gone was the thick rear bumper, now replaced by a lightweight construction. Four rear speed holes were slotted in for weight reduction, a grille inset adorned the abbreviated Maestro House “M.H” badge. A rain light fills in the space. Rear aero spats now stick out from the sides of the rear bumper for added stability.
The carbon Dynamica diffuser and rear wing channels even more airflow to stabilize the car. Over the rear fenders, a large NACA duct now sits atop to cool the bored-out 3.3L flat-six. The slick rear louvers that originally sat on the car were now replaced with plexiglass. Maestro House were serious about this being half-and-half for track use. But some other items were added just for the aesthetics, according to Wolfram.
For “added visual flair”, M.H put Catshark neon lighting into the engine bay at the rear and the footwells within the cabin. The taillights were swapped for chromed-out OEM-style lights. At the front in the grille, a pair of aftermarket foglights sit nice and snug to light the road.
It couldn’t be a track car without modified suspension. Even for a car that came standard with pushrods, Wolfram wasn’t fully satisfied. For that task, Maestro House reached out to Grenadier Suspensions for additional suspension work. The new coilovers and setup allowed for the car to not just be more predictable, but be more comfortable as well. The braking system was upgraded to add modern ABS. Additionally, 6-pot calipers are now equipped all-around. The wheels chosen for the build were 18" Believer Sport gold forged center-lock wheels. The rubber was upgraded to semi-slicks.
Moving inside, the already hardcore, track-ready interior of the Ragnarøk was further enhanced to fit Wolfram’s vision. The seats were now swapped out for genuine sport buckets, supplied by Labrador. In the gauge cluster, a focused and lightweight QTA Racing gauge was swapped in. The steering rack was changed for a lighter weight carbon-aluminum construction, and the steering wheel was replaced by a quick-release flat-bottom steering wheel instead. Another M.H badge pops up over the wheel’s gold center cap. The key that once sat on the left of the driver is now replaced with an ignition system used in racecars.
Delving into the mystical creation of the engine, the M.H construction of it is nothing short of wild. The engine’s been rebuilt with a billet block, new forged pistons and rods, and a 3.3L bore increase up from the original 3.1L. A new piggyback ECU was mounted and a tune has increased the rev limiter to 9000rpm. The heads were now a polished gold color.
It looks like Wolfram still aimed to be a bit purist though, deciding to keep the centrifugal supercharger versus the installation of a turbocharger. When asked about it, he essentially likened it down to the power curve of the supercharger, mentioning it was more “supplementary to the build” and that he “liked it” more than the delivery of a turbo. The engine was also upgraded with a better fuel delivery system and converted to E85.
All these upgrades have delivered the Ragnarøk’s already powerful flat-six to a staggering 820hp, ready to take on any opponent. The transmission remains the same: a 5-speed manual. But the final drive has now been replaced to a 4.40 rear, allowing the car to hit a 0-60 of just 2.9s. Very impressive. Its top speed was recorded recently too, a few months ago. (See below.)
All-in-all, the M.H “Entropy” takes an already impressive car from the 80’s and turns it into something even faster and surprisingly a bit easier to drive. Jumping nearly 200hp over stock in a car as light as this is nothing to scoff at. We’ll soon see what Mr. Wolfram will do next in L.A. With his sights on entering the Silver State Challenge in Nevada next year, butting heads with the other tuners in L.A. just might be what he needs to learn and optimize his build for the challenges that lay ahead.
- 2005