Type 1 Racer

While most estates on the outskirts of the Capital had their own private garages and powered charge wheels, this garage more resembled a power engineer's workshop. Power-wagon parts were scattered haphazardly, various sizes of flywheels were spinning up on chargers (outside their containment!), and the wagons that were hoisted up on ropes were not the ordinary blocky wagons that filled the streets of the Capital City with traffic. These were uncovered single seaters, sleek and polished, with massive drive gears mated to a huge, rear mounted flywheel cage.

Tarvo found her at the end of the hoists. Lady Giscard had a breaker bar attached to a wagon wheel and was trying to force the bolt; the bar wouldn't budge. She sighed and stood up, removing her gloves. "Just the man I was looking for. Put the new leaf spring assembly over on the table and help me get this unstuck."

"I was just here to deliver the part, but I suppose I wouldn't hear the end of it from Phanae if I didn't help out." He placed his pack down with a heavy thud and walked over. The wagon in question was so new its wood varnish was still slick; Tarvo ran a finger along the panel frame and then rubbed the stuck bolt before grabbing hold of the bar. One, two. The third push and the bolt gave, and the wheel sagged off its mounting.

"Thank you." Lady Giscard had already brought over its replacement. The old wheel was traditional heavy hardwood, assembled with thick spokes. The new wheel was a single circle of steel, with rubber wrapped around the edge, not unlike the wheels used in powered cycles. "We're going to be testing these new wheels at the Proving Grounds tomorrow. A lighter driven weight should improve overall longevity, but there's a concern about the steel bending or warping under heavy load."

"Couldn't the wheels just be switched at the same time the flywheels are swapped?" Tarvo took the new wheel and fitted it on the wagon's open flange. The steel glinted in the light of the garage, a contrast to the light wood. "These flywheels are only good for a few laps before they need to be recharged anyway."

"We haven't made a wheel mount that can be swapped as easily as a flywheel clutch. It would take time and lose a race." Lady Giscard was inspecting the new leaf springs. "These wheels need to last as least half as long as wooden wheels without deforming before we can consider them a net improvement, but the weight savings is significant." She waved a hand. "Thanks for the help, but I can take it from here."

---
Phanae shook her head. "The patricians have spent how much on these things? How many millions of Florin just to go around a ring a little faster?" The guardswoman had a sour look.
Tarvo shrugged. "The justification is Progress. If that new metal wheel I saw works better than traditional wooden wheels, it won't be long before they're on regular Power-Wagons. Besides, they're cool. It's fun to see them moving quickly."
"There has to be a better way to forward Progress with the funds. They're just papering over more untold luxury." She tapped the broadsheet on the cafe table. "There's going to be another protest out at the Proving Grounds about this very topic tomorrow, and the Arbiter of Progress is going to release a statement on the subject soon."
He had heard of the protest. "I don't see how that helps anything. The wealthy will stay wealthy, the foremost houses will remain in their estates. I see this no differently than watching them prance around on horses two hundred years ago."
"The difference is Progress, Tarvo. We're all supposed to ensure resources are spent for the common good. How many average Etoileans will ever get behind a Type 1 wagon? What good will it do for them?" Phanae sighed. "But I suppose there's no law against it. We'll see what the Monitor says tomorrow."

Power Generation

Like the ordinary Power-Wagons from which these specialized racers are derived, these vehicles mount flywheels to drive their wheels and deliver propulsive force. Unlike the ordinary Power-Wagon, which is generally built for utility and the maximizing of the distance travelled per flywheel charge consumed, Type 1 Racers are optimized for covering the longest distance possible in as short a time as possible. This requires custom-made, much larger flywheels to deliver the torque needed to get a wagon moving quickly, as well as massive transmission assemblies to deal with the forces involved.
The distinction of being a 'Type 1' racer is subject to a currently informal system of tiers of competition; there are several 'types' of vehicles of varying speeds, with Type 4 vehicles being little more than regular Power-Wagons with their carriage bodies replaced, and Type 1 vehicles being fully customized vehicles capable of the fastest speeds.

Propulsion

Type 1 Racer wagons are virtually all driven by oversized flywheels driving a staggered wheel setup - the rear wheels are oversize compared to the front and are geared for maximum speed. Unlike the hydraulic direct drives found in Far-Ranger Powered Cycles, which can achieve much higher speeds after some time accelerating, these vehicles are made to accelerate quickly after slowing down to navigate a turn. 
The cost of this is longevity; a charged flywheel may last for a third or the fourth of the mileage as in a regular wagon, and can take nearly twice the time to recharge at a clutch plate. This renders these vehicles wholly unsuited for any practical purpose besides contests of speed, a point that has been seized on by journalists and social researchers as an example of profigacy and excess, incompatible with the ideals of Progress. The races are virtually all held with only the wealthy scions of the Foremost families piloting these wagons, and it is an open question in the hallways of the Palace of the Princeps whether to prohibit these events or enjoin power-engineering research into top speeds.

Price

~300,000 Principality Trade Florin depending on model

Rarity

Rare

Related Technologies

• Power

Width

5ft

Length

8-9ft

Height

3ft

Weight

Typically 1000lb or less

Speed

Maximum speeds of up to 80 mph

Complement / Crew

1

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

None