Last week’s Juke-R build video taught us that there was more to finishing the Juke-R’s interior than simply bolting in a pair of racing seats, hooking up a wiring harness and calling it a day.
A substantial amount of design and fabrication was necessary to make the various Juke, GT-R and aftermarket bits work in harmony.
Nissan had ambitious plans for the Juke-R’s bodywork, which had to portray the car as “innovative, exciting and dynamic.” Nissan’s original two-dimensional drawings were the starting point, and these were first modeled in a 3D environment before any work could begin on actual carbon fiber body panels.
The video makes it look deceptively easy, and you’re left with the impression that anyone having access to AutoCAD, a 3D scanner, a five-axis CNC router, carbon fiber fabric, resin, a vacuum sealer and an autoclave could knock out a set of panels in his spare time.
Fastening them to the Juke’s existing body appears to be another story, since RML affixed the body panels to the Juke shell using the same adhesive that bonds the chassis panels in Formula 1 cars together. It isn’t likely you’ll find that at your local home warehouse or craft store, and we seriously doubt that Gorilla Glue will do the trick, even if you do clamp it properly.
Next week, Nissan goes over the suspension development work that was necessary to make the Juke-R handle like a supercar, not just look like one.