"Why not build a real super quad?"

Have you ever wondered what happens when you crash a Subaru Impreza STi into a ATV? I think Ken Brought wanted to give us the answer.

"A couple of years ago while watching T.V. coverage of N.Z.'s famous "Race to the Sky" hill climb event I thought "why not build a real super quad? On doing further research I discovered that I would most likely be able to get it road legal as well. So when our speedway season finished in early 2004 I sorted out my work shop and approached a Subaru parts dismantler/recycler whom I knew and he agreed to help out with parts and technical support. That's Mike from Auto-Mart (2000) Ltd in Northway St. Hamilton.

I started in earnest on May 1st 2004, working on it in my spare time and weekends but also giving up a part time job to allow more time on it. I had it up and running in 10 ½ months but still with some finishing off and refining work to be done as a project like this or any race vehicle is never finished as you are always doing developments and improvements. It was never really designed but more just "built as I went" based on a general concept that I had in my head, even when I started I could not have told anyone that it was going to look like it does today. It just "morphisized into what you see, sometimes it was as if my hands were working from my sub-conscious and not everything was done after a rational decision was made, at times it just poured out of me. Mike of Auto-Mart supplied me with a trailer load of parts to start the project with, the motor and gearbox were just donor items to build with, the motor didn't have a fly-wheel and clutch and the gearbox was an empty casing without as much as a selector shaft coming out of it so this made things like clutch and gear shift mechanisms very much up in the air which I just had to allow for."

The width of the engine and 30 degrees of steering lock determined what the minimum wheel track would be (1220mm, 48") and then many comparisons were made to determine the wheel base (1800mm, 71"), which is much the same as our speedway midget cars, which also have about the same track, weight and power.

The frame is made out of 38mm roll-cage tubing for the mains and 25mm high strength tubing for the diagonals and suspension. With the radiator mounted under the rear body panel it was decided to run the cooling water through the frame. It in fact comes out of the engine and into and down the right side of the chrome nudge bar, into the right hand lower frame tube and back to the radiator then returned back along the left hand lower frame tube direct to the thermostat housing while the top two frame tubes were sealed and pressure tested to become vacuum/pressure reservoirs just in case it was needed to supply a booster mechanism for clutch operation or an air operated gear shifter. See what I mean about allowing for things as you go just in case you need them later. Another example was for a power steering pump and ram which as it turned out isn't required. The steering was accomplished with a quad bike style steering collum and lever assembly with two universal joints taking the drive down the right hand side of the gearbox where it is transmitted through a knee action bell-crank to the tie-rods and idler arrangement. Steering input is 45 degrees each way at the handle bars which at the moment translates to 20 degrees each way at the wheels, by using a different set of holes in the idlers the lock can be increased to 30 degrees with the same input.

With it's power to weight ratio this beast  must be a scary but fun ride. The freedom of a motorcycle with the power and handling of a car. A real toy for big boys.