Last month, we launched a new ratings system on CarDomain. One of the new categories is Carbon Quota. There are quite a few nice cars entered in this category, but there is one car that stands out—a Honda S2000 owned by Richard Thibault of St Jean sur le Riche, Quebec.
We asked Rick a few questions about his car. He speaks French, but a buddy of his helped him with the translation. Here's what Rick had to say:
What do you like so much about carbon fiber?
I like the fact that it is so lightweight, especially when the fibers are well aligned.
How hard is it to work with?
Quite difficult. The complexity of the project demanded experts in the field. Giving a fluid looking effect to the rounded areas was difficult, because the carbon is extremely porous, and the desired look was a smooth finish.
How many hours do you have into this project? I can't even begin to try to guess at the number of hours I have into this car. I started this project in 2002 without really knowing what I was getting myself into! Approximately eight months out of the year, the car is being worked on, either by experts in their respective fields, or by me.
How much of the work did you do yourself?
I am a designer and artist by trade, so I designed many of the parts myself, such as the front and rear bumpers, the tonneau cover, spoiler, side skirts, splitter, and hood intake. The artistic conception is entirely mine, and I did all the airbrush work myself. On the mechanical side, I chose the parts, but they are installed by professionals. The fabrication of the carbon parts, the body work, and all the audio installations were done by experts, but always under my supervision, because I had a precise idea of exactly what I wanted.
What was the most challenging part of the project? Coming up with the exact design of the car. My idea was to create a “tuning” design while keeping the sporty and the classic look of the S2000. Many, many rough drafts were made before I got it just the way I wanted it.
How long did you spend on the dash? The original design of the dash made it easy for me to design the new one. The project was completed in about a week.
What other plans do you have for the car? At the present time, the final touches are being done on the undercarriage in red Kevlar. In the near future I would like to re-do the airbrush design and mold the fenders with the bumpers so there will no longer be any seams. This would complete the vehicle and make it more competitive in shows.
Can you talk a bit about the tonneau cover? I decided to design my own tonneau cover for my S2000 because there really was so little choice available on the market. I created it and designed it for my car, with the intention of marketing it and making it available to others, as I have done with all the parts I designed.
Do you drive the car much, or is it mostly a show car? With the time and money I have put into it, I had told myself I would enjoy it as much as possible and take it out on sunny days, and days when the road was dry. But, as it turns out, the car is almost always somewhere being worked on, or in a more secure place than my own garage, so I don't often get the chance to just drive it around.
Why did you go for a supercharger over a turbo? I went with a supercharger because of the dependability and stability it would provide. In my opinion, the turbo is more violent, but less dependable.
How long have you been on CarDomain? I have been a member of CarDomain for almost two years now. I really like the concept, the way we are allowed to build our own page, and the feedback from other members, whether it be encouragement or criticism. The members are a nice bunch, I enjoy them.
What are some of your favorite rides on our site?
Being a huge S2000 fan, I naturally tend to check those out more. But I also like any car that is exotic, and well modified. Cars that show good taste, and class.
Congrats on building such an amazing car, and thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!
Be sure to visit Rick's Ricks Ride Page, and leave message in his guestbook!
Got a cool story to share? Contact the CarDomain Editor at editor@cardomain.com.
