Carbon fiber is an example of an extremely tough and strong material. Despite being very light weight, it is 2 times as stiffer and 5 times stronger than steel and has revolutionized the manufacturing world with its excellent properties.
Carbon fiber comes in varieties of carbon fiber fabric, which are in turn used to make carbon fiber composites. Manufacturing carbon fibers is one thing, but machining carbon sheets and parts is altogether a very complex task. Multiple materials with different physical and chemical properties at work make carbon fibre composites.
There are various types of carbon fiber composites being used in the industry. While manufacturing carbon fibre composites, there is little room for fiber composites. Being aware of the strength of carbon fiber, the product doesn’t come in a cheap price. Here are 6 examples of ultra-expensive carbon fiber products:
- Koenigsegg One or 1 as it is called was revealed in 2014. The one made from carbon fibre parts was probably a unique example of a car ever produced in the car industry. Priced around $2.8 Million, it has a body that is made from carbon fiber and Kevlar – prepreg composites. It is a state-of-the-art racing vehicle, with a top speed of around 273 mph, defining it as a luxury car. The name “one” comes from its power-to-weight ratio – 1 hp to 1 kg. The company had to sacrifice a few things to achieve the desirable product and making it a more track-focused as compared to the previous cars that has been launched by the company. Illustrated as a luxury car, its ride is more than comfortable with being super fast too. Imagine being in a car that is made from the exact material modern aircraft are being made of.
- Never the world of the automobile industry has seen a Shelby mustang, 2020 Ford Mustang GT500CR made from carbon fiber parts that comes with a price tag of $1.45 Million. You can even make your own hood with carbon fiber fabrication. You can also make a carbon fiber appearance for this car. If you are not a professional or an expert in this field than definitely you would need DIY artists to get your car to look a certain way. As the founder and co-owner of the company, Jason Engel portrayed that how excited they were to fulfill their dream and make it a reality by launching the world’s first carbon-fiber-bodied heritage Shelby GT500CR which would be a true inspiration for future models. Not many products that are presented as an idea are made out to be cars. The addition of carbon fiber parts to this vehicle meant that it was 600 pounds lighter from the stock weight, hence, increasing its performance.
- The aerodynamics of Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG car aid it to be a speedster which comes with a price of around $100,000. The carbon fiber parts in this car include the front lip splitter, rear spoiler, and rear diffuser. The spoiler compliments its E-class design, it is coated with a UV protection system to provide a smooth and high gloss finish. The front air splitters increase the airflow and provide front end downforce to your vehicle. It also has a tailgate spoiler which is made from cutting carbon fiber into sheets produced from the process of carbon fibre moulding to obtain the shape of the spoiler. The car can be customized according to your taste, but what the company has made as a stock product are a piece of art and a stunning vehicle.
- Italdesign Zerouno Duerta car is based on the platform of the Audi R8 and has a naturally aspirated V10 engine with 610 hp (455 kW) with a base price of $1.8 Million. Like the German supercar, it has an all-wheel drive and an automatic dual-clutch transmission. Weighing only 2,866 lbs (1,300 kg), its top speed exceeds 199 mph (320 kph). Unveiled to the world during the 87th Geneva International Motor Show in 2017, Zerouno is the first car born under the new brand Italdesign Automobili Speciali. Intended for collectors and visionary enthusiasts, it will be built in only five units. This car represents phase two in Italdesign’s strategic plan for creating iconic, high-performance products that collectors will treasure.
- The Lexus LFA can’t prevent the car from reminding us that its entire body was made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). The car was presented in 2009 and priced around $1 Million and according to the information released then, 65 percent of this material was used in its construction, which saved up to 220 lbs (100 kg) and increased the rigidity of the whole vehicle. Part of the reason why the LFA had extensive development times was due to the engineers deciding on switching to carbon-fiber. Initially, the Lexus LFA was supposed to be an all-aluminum architecture but when the R&D progressed, carbon-fiber became a lot more accessible.
- The latest creation in McLaren’s Ultimate Series, the Speedtail, has its carbon body as one of its most important signs of identity. Combine the super low weight with possibly the finest aerodynamic work seen in recent years and a propulsion system with 1050 hp (783 kW), and you got spectacular performance numbers: top speed of 250 mph (403 kph) and an acceleration from 0 to 186 mph (300 kph) in just 12.8 seconds. As it represents the future of the automotive world, the McLaren Speedtail price is $2.25 Million.
Industrial automation weighs the per-piece cost against the benefit of lighter-weight materials like prepreg carbon fiber composites for increased production line speeds, reduced wear and load on motors and actuators, and energy consumption. Given the enormous benefits gained, the cost of carbon fiber is easily justified by the increased life cycle and improved performance.
Hence, the supercar and automotive industry with carbon fibre products like the McLaren series, Lexus, Ford Mustang, Deurta, Mercedes-Benz and even the Formula One cars that have manufacturers like BMW, Ferrari, Honda which are the pioneers for F1 cars have gained the expertise in carbon fibre manufacturing and product design, hence, demanding the price that justifies the craft.