Autocar UK – 24 April 2019

RML GROUP INSIGHT

24 APRIL 2 019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 55

Entrepreneur and RML client

Martin Miles (above) has for 20

ye a r s b e e n a s s o c i a te d w i th a

beguilingly simple, spaceframe-

based, Reynard-designed, mid-

engined roadster that started life

as the Strathcarron. In the earliest

days it was powered by a 1200cc

Triumph motorcycle engine but

was redesigned about a decade

ago as the Avocet, powered by a

2.0-litre Ford Sigma engine. The

car was always intended for low-

volume production, but along the

way Miles became interested in the

electrified car world and calculated

that those in the market for his

strictly-for-pleasure £40k-plus

roadster might also be.

With the help of a team of

friends with old-school Lotus

connections, Miles has re-

engineered the car as a range

extender. Its rear compartment is

now packed with an electric motor

driving the rear wheels through a

Ford gearbox and transaxle, and

a 1.0-litre three-pot Ford engine

driving an end-on generator (for

maximum efficiency at around

2600rpm). There’s a clutch pedal

for gearchanging but there’ll be

no need to use that for take-off,

because the car is set up to creep.

Cooling has been designed for the

inverter and power electronics,

plus the battery bank (in the

passenger’s space for now but

eventually intended for Avocet’s

generous sidepods). RML’s role is

to balance stuff like cooling flows

and engine performance, and to

design instrumentation, control

protocols and wiring to make

the electric Avocet as safe and

intuitive to operate as possible.

It’s a bigger task than you think.

Miles acknowledges that he’s

in uncharted waters. The idea is

that his EV — unlike practically any

other — will be operated as much

as possible by the driver, who will

decide when the charge motor

should start. Stuff like clutch feel,

gearchange feel and how many

gears will be needed by a car with

295lb ft from standstill and up to

160bhp with the generator motor

running are still to be discovered.

It will be a fascinating ride.

ELECTRIC DREAM

Δ reserved for a car that

imaginatively employs new tech and

doesn’t conform to an established

c l a s s. W it h i n it i a l s s t a nd i n g for

‘Zero Emissions On Demand’, the

ZEOD RC used chassis technology

developed from the rule-breaking

but conventionally powered Nissan

Delta Wing and was built to deliver

the first-ever all-electric racing

lap at la Sarthe. Powered by a tiny,

lightweight 1.5-litre, 400bhp three-

cylinder petrol engine plus two

110kW electric motors, the ZEOD

RC d id i nde e d c omple t e it s e le c t r ic

lap, achieving a top speed close to

19 0 mph on t he Mu l s a n ne St r a i g ht –

a lt hou g h it f a i le d t o f i n i sh t he r a c e.

Any tour of RML faces participants

w it h a c onu nd r u m: mo s t of w h at

you’ll see is secret. Michael Mallock

cheerfully explains the problem thus:

“We produce most work as a ‘white

brand’. Our clients don’t pay us to

promote ourselves...”

Ju s t t he s a me , w e e mba rk on

a tour of RML’s inner workings,

viewing its body design

department, its interesting

mix of traditional and up-to-

the-second machine tools and,

of course, some fascinating

car projects. We pass stocks of

recently made front and rear

suspension subframes, mandated

for BTCC cars and which RML

manufacturers and can supply at

meetings if a competing car gets

s e r iou sl y b e nt. Ne x t w e pa s s a l i ne

of specialist supercars, belonging

t o a w e l l-k now n br a nd , b e i n g

enhanced into extra-rare,

extra-secret versions.

We then step into what seems

like a parallel universe: a special

workshop containing a three-car

line of massively expensive, bespoke,

electric hypercars – of a LaFerrari/

P 1 c apa bi l it y but w it h a r g u a bl y e v e n

more visual impact – being built for

a mysterious Far Eastern client and

u n a ble t o b e ide nt i f ie d b e y ond t h at.

The key specifications are 0-60mph

acceleration under three seconds,

3g cornering in 100mph corners

and three tonnes of downforce

(via moveable wings) at 186mph.

RML has now made 16 of these for

The Nissan ZEOD RC

Le Mans car was an

early RML EV project

Avocet’s sidepods

will in time house

its battery packs

Project^ power^ comes^ in
all shapes^ and^ sizes

The project’s to-do list is an extensive on

e

an enormously wealthy group of

investors and isn’t too sure how

many more they’ll do. But the future

seems bright. “Projects like this

are really taking off,” Michael says

w it h a c he e r f u l sm i le. T he n for a

complete contrast we walk through

a n a dja c e nt w ork shop c r e at i n g a nd

fitting ‘road packs’ to Aston Martin’s

continuation-series DB models, also

in strong demand.

We dr ive across Wellingborough

t o t he H V C e nt r e t o s e e b e s p ok e

batteries being constructed from

various cell designs for RML-only

applications, including sets of twin

312kg, high-power batteries to

propel the mighty aforementioned

hypercar. At the end of the hall we

come upon a fascinating, lower-

budget project from the other end

of the ownership spectrum yet still

i n ne e d of R M L’s e x p e r t i s e.

It’s a small, Elise-sized mid-

engined British roadster called

Avocet, already fitted with a range-

extender powertrain but being

developed by RML’s engineers with

all the instrumentation, switchgear

and user protocols needed for safety

(see right). The project’s leader,

Martin Miles, thoroughly approves

of the electric sports car idea but

a d m it s he ’s on a le a r n i n g c u r v e.

“I ’m bu i ld i n g t h i s c a r t o pr ov e

whether I’m right or wrong about

what makes a great electric sports

car,” he admits. “For that I need the

best, cleverest partners I can find.

RML are fitting the bill perfectly.” L