18.1.08

namesakes






This is the cover of the March 2001 Car and Driver, and happens to be the cover blurb that inspired this little corner of the blogosphere into existence.

The car pictured is, of course, Warren Mosler's revolutionary MT900 - one of the meanest, nastiest, snarliest little monsters ever let loose on public roads. That the thing was immediately shunned (if not outright outlawed) from the OneLap of America events was not surprising ... that no lap dogs shot Warren on sight was.

Mosler's MT900 is the 19 year old ringer on your kid's little league team, and big-dollar efforts from guys like Ron Adee, Peter Ferrell, and even my current patriarch at RENNtech found that out the hard way, lining up one by one to be buried by the featherweight MT.

Designed by Rod Trenne - who saved weight by using the same state of the art materials NASA did to make the space shuttle's potty - the MT900 took it's name from the initials of the principals involved (Mosler and Trenne, respectively) and the car's weight: 900 kg.

Is it any wonder, then, that the RENNtech boys started building 1000 ft-lb. twin-turbo V12's and Ferrell gave up the business altogether (presumably to harass hundreds of otherwise innocent web forum noobs)?

No.

No it isn't.

This was the big nuclear atom bomb that was supposed to turn Mosler Automotive into the American Ferrari (and they might still be on their way - but probably not), and - much like nuclear fallout - the thing probably glows in the dark and cackles/crackles at the Geiger counters whenever they get too close. Like the Consuliers and all-conquering OneLap Raptors before it, the message from this sikk puppy was clear: this car is DANGEROUS, and your car is slow.