Carbon fibre monocoques — how they actually work (for non-engineers)
I work in composite materials engineering and I get asked constantly: why do supercars use carbon fibre tubs and what makes them special? Short version: a carbon fibre monocoque is a structural shell where the outer skin IS the chassis. Like an egg — enormously strong in compression relative to weight, light because you're not carrying a separate steel frame underneath. The McLaren F1's tub weighed 68kg. A comparable steel structure would weigh over 250kg. Modern examples like the Pagani Huayra use carbon-titanium composites — the titanium weave absorbs crash energy differently from pure carbon, improving safety in oblique impacts. What questions do you have? Happy to go deep on any aspect of this.
Can confirm the Valkyrie's driving position is basically a race seat with a number plate bolted on — not a criticism, just a very different proposition to what people are describing in the W1. Glad both exist, honestly, they're proving there's more than one way to do this.