Daniel Bird, a motorsport engineering student at the University of Wolverhampton, has been praised for his exhaust design for a Pagani Huayra supercar.
Wolverhampton’s School of Engineering was approached to design and manufacture a bespoke exhaust trim for the car, which will be driven to Europe to take part in an exhibition. Working with commercial client Torus Technology Group, Daniel used Computer Aided Design (CAD) and prototype models to create a final product made from titanium. The work was carried out at the university’s Telford Innovation Campus.
“The design takes advantage of the Direct Metal Laser Sintering process that operates at the Telford Innovation Campus, to permit very complex and unique designs that cannot be manufactured using more conventional methods,” said Paul Bates, technical & business resource manager at the Innovation Campus.
“Daniel worked closely with the client on the project outside of his academic and motorsport activities, gaining some valuable live work experience, to create the final product, which was commended by Horacio Pagani, the founder of Italian speciality auto-maker, Pagani Automobili.”
With a top speed of around 238mph and 0-60mph acceleration of 2.8 seconds, the Huayara is in the upper echelons of modern supercars, and was named Top Gear’s Hypercar of the Year upon its release in 2012. Having received praise from Pagani’s founder for the bespoke exhaust, 26-year-old Daniel is now working on a second design, this time for a Pagani Zonda.
“Getting the chance to work with Torus Technology Group on a sports car produced by Pagani, one of the greatest Italian sports car manufacturers in the world, was an amazing opportunity,” said Daniel, who originally hails from Staffordshire.
“Thanks to the skills and techniques I obtained through my studies and motorsport activities, I was able to interpret the client’s ideas into a design best suited for the Huayra’s unique style. Then to receive the word that Horacio Pagani commended my work was truly something special to me.”
