Wolfrace Sonic

(Photo Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)

Nick Butler right, passenger in her baby, Sonic Wolfrace six wheels

A spacecraft on six wheels. The English manufacturer Wolfrace wheels (directed to the & rsquo; time by D.F. Treacy) did much to heal its image. After first making a splash with a Range Rover with six wheels, he made even more spectacular with the Sonic with six wheels and two motors. He ordered this car to Nick Butler, leader of the firm “Auto Imagination”, Focus in two years and requested more 750.000 Francs.

Chrome data & flames (update you 18/12/2006)

• Two Rover V8 engine between the axles 3528 cm3 each
• Ensembles, engines develop 240 kW, 326 ch 5500 tr/mn.
• Couple maxi : 400 nm 2500 tr/mn.
• Compression 9,35:1
• Ignition : Holley carburetors two (instead of SU)
• Transmission cardan shaft Jaguar and two differential on & rsquo; rear axle.
• Transmission : two automatic transmissions Borg Warner three reports (type 65).
• the shortest transmission ratio 2,39:1 the longest 1,0:1 rear axle ratio 3,09:1
• Frame : in & rsquo; before, the suspension of 4 wheel double direction triangles on each side, 4 spring / damper unit and 2 transverse stabilizers. in & rsquo; rigid rear with two units coil spring / damper wheel.
• At & rsquo; before 4 ventilated disc brakes to the & rsquo; interior, in back 2 disc brakes box outlets like the Tyrrell P34)
• Wolrace Sonic wheels (!!) in & rsquo; before : 6×13, in back : Special manufacturing Wolfrace / BBS 10×15.
• 175/50 front tires×15, 285/50 rear tires×15 (Pirelli P7).
• Its body is fiberglass and has a Cd of 0.30.
• Length : 5194 mm
• Width : 1981 mm
• Height : 838 mm 1194 mm top of the & rsquo; fin
• wheelbase : 2540 mm 1702 mm
• Front track / AR : 1714-1702 mm
• Unloaded weight : 1500 kg
• Distribution of masses AV / AR : 50:50
• Top speed : 260 km/h
• 0 to 100 km/h : 7 seconds
• Price : between 500.000,00 FF and 1.250.000 FF

The Wolfrace Sonic is equipped with 2 differential on & rsquo; independent rear axle. To start, a computer assists the driver with 80 input information and 90 output. “Starting engines s & rsquo; performed separately”. L & rsquo; computer coordinates the revolutions per minute of each motor.
If synchronization of & rsquo; one of the engines shifts more 8 seconds while the engine goes to idle. If & rsquo; computer crashes, engines s & rsquo; stop ! In & rsquo; test for Chrome & flames, motors n & rsquo; have failed to start because of the & rsquo; computer… Both engines must operate both, indeed, for example the command left engine the brake servo and the dynamo, the right one, inter alia, Pump power steering…
L & rsquo; computer is with the battery and the two symmetrical aluminum tanks, in & rsquo; back of the Sonic Wolfrace.

To enter the car, You have to be patient, a touch of a button switches all the & rsquo; interior, steering column and side panels included, and finally allows d & rsquo; enter. The passenger s & rsquo; installs the same way left into a narrow seat in leather, but nevertheless very comfortable. As a true co-pilot jet, it has the same dashboard instruments that the pilot except of course the wheel and some other commands. Head and shoulders far beyond the cabin not too spacious, Fortunately a solid spoiler protects the. Pressing one of the colored buttons gives rise, thanks to countless electric motors, the the & rsquo console computer or the mirror of the channel which separates the two seats. Follows a dizzying data manipulation to adjust the limit of revolutions minute of the desired timing before the engines, in an impressive roar whirring not the & rsquo; one after the & rsquo; other.

The dashboard has been developed by a small German company, “exclusive Tuning”, it consists of LEDs and d & rsquo; digital displays. The speed will go through buttons on the dashboard ! A helmet has been developed by the company Wolfrace, especially in order to control the Sonic 6 wheels.

Wolfrace really rolling on road even if it n & rsquo; is not practical to drive. She even makes an appearance 1984 Grand Prix d & rsquo; England. “Sonic again hits the road for promotional campaigns”.



New (03/02/2006)

C & rsquo; is to promote the brand and the Sonic wheels 6 wheels was made.
Right here, the famous Sonic rims on a Mini Metro, it does not give equal !

A big thank you to Neortic for photos that do not circulate on the web,
extracted from the special number lounge 1983 s & rsquo; Auto-Journal.

better we appreciate the helm on this view,
and have the first images with d & rsquo plates; registration !

Some additional images recently (18/12/2006)
Rear view of the two boxes, notice the & rsquo; different registration !

In a French salon

On a road, with two passengers, heads even slightly exceed the & rsquo; fin !

On a circuit, she traveled the Sonic quite a bit before being put in a garage !

Found an almost picture, that of Sonic Wolfrace in the Chrome magazine & flames. A huge thank you to Regis (Buggyfamily2), a large 6-collector !

closed headlights

open headlights

L & rsquo; back is a little buggy like that

What a great jalopy, j’adore !

View of two Rover V8

Once the door closed, it n & rsquo; there is much room !
all motor information is provided by a liquid crystal display…

L & rsquo; computer that manages the synchronization between motors, PC 286 in 1982 with his catch series and relay heap !
floppy 5 inch) 1/4 or hard drive 5 megabytes ? Maybe just an EPROM !

The detail of the rear transmission

door open, All management tools are retracted to allow passage to the pilot.
Another huge thank you to Buggyfamily2 for Christmas gift !

Explanations on & rsquo; interaction engine with & rsquo; computer

The chief in command

Shooting for the & rsquo; rear spoiler

Walk on the British roads

What a dream

Can not go unnoticed

Vein of the Batman…

Journalist Mike Collins put the wheel

the cockpit

the PC !!

The original article translated into French…

When I first saw Wolfrace Sonic, I was impressed but not turned on, because no-go stars have long been a species I never understood. After all, if you are going to have a toy, it's not good if you can't play with.

Sonic is more than a rich man's toy. For Nick Butler, it’s a dream he realized – spend many hours building it for the show, to go. As you can see from Steve's high speed photos, Sonic finally managed to make the star a paddle steamer, a really unique machine that looks and is exciting to drive.

For Wolfrace Wheels, Sonic is a very successful promotional vehicle, as evidenced by the ever-increasing number of pretty Sonic rims that enhance the look of many car brands.

For most people, it’s an awesome looking machine, works with both electronics and push buttons. I imagine it would be interesting to know what characterizes Sonic – and how he behaves on the street.
The heart of Sonic's computer has a sophisticated and powerful microprocessor with processing capacity. 100 starters / exits, which is used in the extreme. The start-up procedure requires the use of 80 incoming and outgoing signals and from 90 incoming signals, which lets you realize that Sonic is a whole new world, away from the classic cruising mobile. Of course, you enter and you turn a key, more, as Nick noted with a chuckle, if something goes wrong ... it's a completely different ball game. Maybe the auto breakdown service could take you home (if they could find a trailer long enough), but sure you will have to fix it yourself.

A major dysfunction, just a few hours before we had to get into the driver's seat, turned out to be a real mediocre who would have sent the AA pot / RAC … the car started, pulled and only went out so that the engine stopped for a few moments. yards later, Many times! Enough to drive a roadside mechanic jar. However, once back at Auto Imagination, to Nick, in Richmond, the reason became obvious ... The engine speed of Sonic is calculated via a proximity sensor which emits a magnetic pulse when the coupling bolts of the drive shaft pass by. The computer counts the pulses of 8 bolt heads to determine the engine speed of the tach ‘and carry out its work. The problem was that something broke the sensor, which did not cause any gelling signal in the computer. As any self-respecting computer will tell you, if he does not receive a signal, nothing works, he stops the engines.

The computer has another built-in security device in which, in the event of an engine out of synchronization of more than 500 tr / min or more than eight seconds, engine speed is automatically reduced to take-over speed. In case of engine malfunction, you can always go home safely with just one engine, but at a very reduced speed.
Nick Butler taught us all this while he was preparing the car for a real road race. Getting into Sonic is a matter of choice. You can lift the hood at the push of a button for elegant entry or simply slip into the cockpit with ease.
As Nick went through the starting sequence; he looked like a rock’n’roll keyboard player, the two Rover power plants reacting to his fingers and feet with a low, relaxed buzz much softer than I expected. Not just eight this time, but sixteen street machine power cylinders.

Engines warm and Steve happy with his shots, we have covered a quarter of a mile. Not a rubber burner, but a constant application of power. Nick even backed up on the half track to check that the two engines were running well before regaining the power to run an easy and weak quarter of an hour. It’s not fans that hurt your heart, hein, but it’s not bad for a fully customized street machine that hasn’t been used yet.
And that's the main reason why we haven't really spent more training on Sonic: the number of kilometers traveled on the engine. Sonic has traveled nearly 14 000 kilometers since its first appearance at last year's Belle Vue Show. However, Nick estimates that there are less than a hundred kilometers on the road clock, so it's fair to leave the boot longer.
Although a banzai has traveled a quarter of a mile, the machine was obviously working and, I would like to give Nick a boost … You drive, he smiled as I was driving.

The control console is placed between the two cockpits with a kill switch, in green for some reason, at the top of the rear touch buttons. The pre-boot sequence begins with the exchange of a key under your legs; it also serves as a secondary ignition switch. Ensuite, your mind does strange and wonderful things at the start of the countdown.
Option switch is on, the selected engine (usually the one on the left) and the appropriate button touched; the accelerator pedal is pressed to the ground and, when you press the illuminated start switch, the left vcc makes eight bursts of life. Now, the fun begins. you press the option switch again to allow the engine to run at any speed until 3 000 tr / me (mainly to allow timing or adjustment).
With the proper functioning of the first engine, we touch the dear button which effectively empties the memory bank and dials the number of revolutions per minute to give a constant idle to the idle. The introduction of the second engine is much the same as that of the first. When you press the accelerator pedal on the ground, you press the start button. The motor of the right hand is then animated without any particular noise.

It’s about now that real sophistication begins, that the synchronization button is pressed and that, a few moments later, the power button, then the computer takes over, the Rover V8 works very well in perfect harmony and we are ready to go.
To engage reverse gear (or even park), two switches must be pressed simultaneously, so that no selection can be made accidentally in motion.

Power passed while reverse gear was engaged, rotating the tires with a muscle car chirp. I lowered the throttle and, almost silently, backed away from our parking space, leaving spectators with amazed faces. The steering wheel responded while I was rotating it, pushing the drive button to the left of the steering wheel. As soon as the trans is set up, I pushed my leg out, engines still seem quieter than expected. Once on the track, I put a little pressure on the accelerator and I started to eat the road with the wind in my hair and the insects in my teeth. Besides the taste they left, it was worth just turning into a curve, to insert the long nose into the elbow and eliminate the other side while remaining flatter than most cars would have ever hoped. Real Magic Came By Watching These Shiny Four Sonic Wheels (or rather the two on my side) swaying around the bend with the rest of the gigantic machine that came just after a round with great ease.
The next time, however, I reminded Nick that I really wanted to give him a little well-being …

Once again, he smiles, you drive…

here, that kind of thing that I like to hear. Keeping in mind the tight state of the engines, I opted for a kick down rather than an explosion of power. First, I twisted my body so I could really step on the power pedal. We moved forward in our main straight line at about fifty kilometers an hour with a feathered accelerator ... then I pressed the accelerator pedal, the incoming power like a two-stage rocket propelling us into space. When my eyes started to shake, I started thinking about stopping the beast, to gel my foot with carbohydrates with Sonic closer to the three-digit driving than it had ever been.
The shutdown system has proven to be adequate and it should be so. Double servos are used with a mechanical compensator to ensure good rear brake balance. There are huge ventilated discs all around with dust cleaning slots and four Girling floating stirrups from (prevents them from expanding under the effect of heat). Configuration is the same as that used in the Tyrrell six-wheeled racing car, so it should be suitable for a street machine. In fact, I didn’t think I would have stopped before I pressed the lift button and the top half of the hood had silently slid up, which allowed me to go back down to dry land.

Tell me what people, Sonic may still suffer from small insects, but he gave me a ride, I will remember a moon for many.

Mike Collins

A very nice photo found in October 2019 of Street Machine magazine to finalize the black version.

A single model was built in black and then it was repainted in red.

But that & rsquo; has become the Wolfrace Sonic ?

As d & rsquo; habit, l & rsquo; history is pretty amazing. In the years 1985, Wolfrace the company was in financial difficulty and Wolfrace Sonic was put in a private auction, in liquidation. A buyer l & rsquo; thus recovered, with the trailer that contained, and has placed everything in a garage in Kent England, d & rsquo; n & rsquo she; bougée more since then…
C & rsquo; is that & rsquo; oto6 intervenes, indeed, j & rsquo; have received a letter from the son of the said owner who inherited the car. Following many exchanges by mail, James m & rsquo; has sent some photos and some explanations.
It n & rsquo; there was indeed that & rsquo; one model of Wolfrace Sonic which was repainted in red last, so it is always red aujourd & rsquo; hui. It n & rsquo; there is no trace of the helmet specially designed for bolide, as was said in the magazine Chrome and Flames. The Sonic is a little dusty, but in very good condition, it n & rsquo; there would be that the tire change !

La Wolfrace Sonic, in 2001 in its special trailer

The entry & rsquo; air are classified elsewhere

The trailer d & rsquo; origin with Sonic painted blue night !!

The Rover V8 engines are in good condition

On the other hand, l & rsquo; computer is very weak,
impossible to say whether the Wolfrace Sonic restart one day…

March photos 2008

Certainly the case is dusty

but nothing & rsquo; n & rsquo other, has changed 6 years

She is still in her trailer

She asks that & rsquo; out !

The passenger bucket

And a unique photo cockpit, with James at the wheel !

A great photo in a show before the auction (pontiac.org.uk)

Latest photos

I say things and… still looking for some documents on the Internet, I fall on & rsquo; announcement of the sale of the car on an English website, by James himself. It is a price to 1.000.000 £ … Our private correspondence spoke about this slightly crazy sale…

(20/10/2019) James could not make this sale at this exorbitant price, especially for a car that could no longer drive due to broken computers…

He started by doing a little restoration of the Sonic and then putting it up for sale on eBay where it was sold for 18.100,00 £

I don't know if the new owner was able to start it or not. It seems to me that this person lives in Sweden, or in a Nordic country.

Barn exit

We can clearly see the dashboard which rises with the door, more convenient to settle in !

Disassembled and pampered

Ready for sale…

A gift of Wolfrace : 3 Owls Fund & rsquo; screen ! (13/10/2006)