by: Jenny McLane
Designing a functional prototype from an idea in such a short time was challenging. It was a tremendous feeling when everything functioned as designed the first time” said Brett Wallihan, MillenWorks Design Engineer, “You just don’t expect a vehicle to rotate around its own axis like that. It was surreal.”This statement summed up for the high praises and awe the crowd bestowed on the Jeep Hurricane took center stage at the Detroit auto show DaimlerChrysler Corporation press conference.
Innovative in style, the Jeep Hurricane included a centrally located twin-engine transfer case, in-board brakes, drive shafts, front and rear steering, and complete corner assemblies. It has a centrally located transfer case coupling power from both engines and distribute all wheel drive torque to each corner of the vehicle. The Jeep Hurricane's Shift-by-wire mechanisms allow the wheels on one side of the vehicle to run in reverse, which, coupled with split solid axles and 55 degrees front and rear wheel toe-in angles, allows the vehicle to rotate around its own axis.
Jeep Hurricane 2005 has Four Wheel and Crab Steering capability, with a combination of traditional and “steer by wire” technologies. The total of twenty inches of suspension travel was achieved through the use of a purpose-built front and rear double A-arm independent wishbone suspension with coil over dampers
Superior engineering describes the effort put into every inch of the Jeep Grand Cherokee by its grand designers -- the Millenworks. The new concept vehicle challenged the creative boundaries of MillenWorks’ engineering team and the result is amazing.
