Team Associated prototype 4WD info.

[OldTimer]

Details from 4wdrc - http://4wdrc.com/news_05_28_07.htm

Sitting right out in the open in the pits at SoCal near the track on Thursday May 25 was an AE engineer with a car that looked so much like the BJ that we at first thought it was one and failed to take photos!

But it's not a BJ and it IS a Team Associated prototype car. Later, on Sunday at the Reedy race, we spoke with AE officials who confirmed that the car exists and said it would not appear at this year's Mod Nats in Albuquerque.

To us it looked very similar to a BJ, with different front diff cover and shock tower, possibly a different 1-way system, and new front arms. It was a flat carbon fiber sheet chassis with shaft drive and a top deck. 3 X 3 saddle packs were in the rear with a longitudinal motor near the center. The shell looked so much like a BJ that it may have actually been a BJ body.

That's really all we know. We were there with Paul and Frank working on several different things on our own cars, We noticed this car, thought it was a BJ, and only confirmed things on Sunday at the Reedy race. We'll put up more info as we get it.

[cabbynate]

I did not see OldTimer's thread. He beat me to it!!!!

[jimmy]

Merged the threads!


Interesting, I'd heard about this ages ago but still to see anything. Will any of the UK AE drivers be racing this prototype this year though?

[cabbynate]

I have a felling AE won't wast time on this one. I am afraid of what will happen to the J Concepts team though?

[jimmy]

Unless this is a co-op with AE ?
It will be interesting to see what else the AE team do, maybe a moulded chassis?

[bigred5765]

owwwww ae 4wd??

[BenG]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Well chuffed. Cant wait for it.

But.... how long have Ae said "We wont make a 4wd buggy, unless the market is right". Answer? Years. So the market must be growing., whoooooop

[cabbynate]

Originally Posted by jimmy

Unless this is a co-op with AE ?
It will be interesting to see what else the AE team do, maybe a moulded chassis?

I could be wrong but I think Team Associated is to big of a company to team up with another company on a project this big. I would bet they will have ready-to-run versions and all. I bet all they are seeing right now is $$$$. J Concepts is very small compared to Associated and I would bet AE would love to swallow them up or buy them out. I'm sure all the Americans AE team drivers will switch to the AE 4WD buggy. This means AE will dominate the 4WD class here in the US...

As for the chassis I would guess they will go with the flat carbon fiber like the BJ4,TRF501X and the MR4-BX. Similar to there new on-road car the TC-5.