M346 Homage Kaʻa Haʻuki

Press Kit

Unique Properties

The M346 Homage is an all carbon fiber bespoke sports car body project developed to dress a light-weight, aerospace inspired, all electric or mid-engine multipurpose automotive platform. The project reanalyzes conventions by blending the aerospace world with that of the automotive and, from the first sketch to virtual reality reviews, CFD simulations, generative design and the scrutiny until the last detail, everything in the project has been designed in an integrated and bold design taste.

Dimensions & Packaging

With more than 700 hp (in its internal combustion engine configuration) pulling a bumper to bumper total length of 4778 mm and a wheelbase of 1.193 mm, the mid-engine, two-seater M346 Homage stands at 1.193 mm from the ground and has a total width (discounting side mirrors) of 2.066 mm.

Tags

automotive design, car design, sports car, supercar, automotive project, automotive engineering, fighter aircraft, Aermacchi M346, aerodynamics, generative design

Production Technology

To be offered either with a V8 internal combustion engine or with an electric powertrain, from the beginning, the M346 Homage has been designed using either pen on paper traditional sketching skills to computer aided styling, augmented reality, other computer simulations and industry cutting edge materials and technologies available to achieve the final platform and body work that, inspired by the aerospace world, use light materials such as high strength aerospace aluminum alloy and carbon fiber composites in a perfect balance between craftsmanship and high tech solutions.

Design Challenge

Going end-to-end and completing the whole design research, creating a design story theme, sketching ideas, computer aided styling modeling and computer generative imagery rendering in only two months was a huge achievement, but accomplishing this on the top of a ready-to-build chassis platform with all the hard points and engineering restraints, while transforming and adapting the more brutal and technical formal styling language of an fighter aircraft into that of a fluid and elegant super car and enhancing active and passive aerodynamics with unique design solutions, was the biggest challenge in the design process of the M346 Homage.

Research

During the research phase of the project a deep analysis of both the formal design language as well as the functional elements of the Aermacchi M-346 fighter aircraft were carried out. All data collected in the form of visual and text input was then experimented in an automotive manner until achieving a perfect blending together with more traditional car design features and functions. As a result, the M346 Homage resembles the aircraft counterpart in its looks while reverse-engineering its aerodynamic solutions and preserving all the sharpness and sexiness of a sports car of such a nature.

Inspiration

In a balanced blend of elegancy and sharpness, lightness and rigidity, aerodynamics and downforce, form and function, the M346 Homage takes its name from its counterpart, the Aermacchi M346, an aircraft first created as a pilot trainer, but then quickly surpassing all expectative to become a fully armed fighter aircraft and finally having the honor of equipping the Tricolor Arrows. To keep up with this big responsibility, the project blends together emotional and functional design with a bespoke platform that will deliver the M-346 enough performance to literally take off.

Project Duration

The exterior design of the M346 Homage project was initiated in January of 2022 in Germany and Italy and completed, only 3 months later, in March of the same year.

Operation Flow

The M346 Homage is intended as a high performance road and track sports vehicle that takes its formal design language and concept at the lines and technical solutions found in the Aermacchi M-346 counterpart. With an aerospace aluminum tubular frame which also receives bespoke light-weight components as a backbone, the M346 Homage transforms this fighter aircraft language input into automotive fluid lines that elegantly morph into clever details that carry functions such as vehicular active aerodynamics and downforce for improvement in cornering and breaking assistance.

Patents

Intellectual property of the M346 Homage body design belongs to Robson Marques de Pontes.

Image Credits

Image #1: Computer Generated Image and collage by Robson Marques de Pontes, March 2022.
Image #2: Computer Generated Image and collage by Robson Marques de Pontes, March 2022.
Image #3: Computer Generated Image and collage by Robson Marques de Pontes, March 2022.
Image #4: Computer Generated Image and collage by Robson Marques de Pontes, March 2022.
Image #5: Computer Generated Image and collage by Robson Marques de Pontes, March 2022.