Edition #FOURTEEN
We Have Liftoff!
(This newsletter was previously sent out to our email subscribers. To receive updates the moment they happen, subscribe via our home page.)
February 7th, 2024 was a day we will remember forever, which the video at the end of this newsletter captures pretty well. But before I get into the details of what it’s like to drive a car that has never existed before - a car that I have dreamed about in one form or another since I was 12 years old - let me recap the herculean effort that took place over the last month: we added 170 feet of wiring, 30+ feet of brake lines, and four different kinds of fluids in preparation for Laguna’s first drive. This is what it took:
The brake and clutch systems consist of ten built-to-order braided steel soft lines (most of which connect directly to the pedal box) and six hard lines, which we made ourselves. The soft lines were essentially plug-and-play, aside from some finessing to ensure they all followed a clean path and had a full range of motion. As the pedals adjust to reach the driver’s feet, the flexible soft lines ensure the brakes work perfectly no matter where the pedals are. They are also used to carry brake fluid from fixtures on Laguna’s chassis to the brake calipers, which move with the steering and suspension.
The hard lines were more of a trial by fire but Kyle and I emerged as expert blacksmiths. We started with a 25-foot spool of copper-nickel hard line and straightened it in the lengths needed for each hard line, which ranged from a few inches to over six feet. The lengths of line were then cut and flanged using specialty tools, and bent to the geometry needed with multiple test fits along the way.
Power steering lines were next: Laguna uses a mixture of reinforced rubber lines for low-pressure and braided aramid-fiber lines for the high-pressure stuff. Just five lines make up the entire power steering system. The last piece of the steering puzzle was to create a dedicated circuit connecting the pump to the battery via a relay that could handle the immense current needed. You better believe we had a fire extinguisher on hand when we flipped that toggle switch for the first time! Laguna’s ultralight build ethos means the power steering doesn’t have to do much work, but it makes an appreciable reduction in steering effort at low speed and adds a critical element of usability for our customers who wish to drive their Laguna on a regular basis.
Finally, it was time to finish the wiring for Laguna’s engine controllers, throttle-by-wire system, electric power steering, and switchgear. With our repurposed ammo box housing the vehicle’s battery, master switch, relays and fuses, the last step was to extend wiring for a number of engine components and run new wires for the switches we added. Despite the fact that Laguna Prototype 1 has no electronic components beyond what is required to drive the vehicle, the wiring is still an immensely complex and time consuming process.
In the last newsletter I touched on how Kyle created a signal processor that could send the BMW engine’s computer an exact copy of the throttle signal it was looking for from the motorcycle, but now with our new gas pedal. To give you an appreciation of the complexity of this one component, we programmed a microprocessor, soldered it to a circuit board, mounted and wired two automotive-grade connectors, and then designed and 3D printed an enclosure for the entire system. You’re looking at about 40 individual parts in an enclosure that fits in the palm of your hands, or in this case under your left foot! Guess how proud I am of that?
With all of those tasks out of the way, there was only one thing left to do: add fluid. We filled and bled the steering, brake and clutch lines, warmed the car up on jack stands, performed final checks, and finally embarked on a short drive that would become a defining moment in our lives… Drive number ONE!! Click on our smiles below to see how it went 😁
Overall, we could not have been happier with Laguna’s first outing. This rolling assembly of thousands of parts - the vast majority of which we designed and assembled ourselves - worked beautifully. So much so that after a few laps around the block, Kyle and I were almost unsure of how we were supposed to feel - there were no failures to be addressed so what next?? We sat in Laguna’s cockpit in a dazed stupor, trying to break down what we had experienced.
The ride is incredibly smooth - so smooth that we didn’t even realize until our debrief that we never felt a bump in the road! The custom-valved Öhlins dampers and springs worked wonders on the road. Our billet aluminum gearshift functioned perfectly too, and the next version will focus on feel and refinement. The clutch is sensitive but totally usable once you get to grips with it - exactly as it was in the BMW motorcycle it came from. We adjusted the clutch pedal after our first drive to get a better feel for the clutch engagement point, and we have plenty more options to alter the feel as desired.
And that engine sounds INCREDIBLE. We have radically altered it from its original form in the BMW motorcycle, so we expected it to have a little trouble catching itself when returning to idle from high rpm. As a result it’s easy to stall in its current setup, but we have already begun implementing solutions and I can’t wait to try them soon.
Our next steps are probably easy to guess given the state of Laguna’s chassis: strip the prototype down for paint! The bare metal frame has spent the last four months exposed to the elements so it doesn’t look as nice as it should. We had to finish making adjustments to the chassis before we could paint it; now it’s ready for a fresh coat that will protect it during our testing program. Once that is complete, we will reassemble the car and begin preparing for our first high-speed test day towards the end of March. We are also finally preparing to receive our first customer deposit (!!) by wrapping up our Family & Friends investment offering.
In the meantime, you can visit our website to learn more about our vision for Shoreline Bespoke, reach out, and shop for apparel. By subscribing to this newsletter, you’ll be the first to know about vehicle updates, future reveals, apparel releases and more… stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Spencer Beckman
Founder & CEO, Shoreline Bespoke Vehicles