Quarkus is a contraction of the words quark and us. A quark is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter.
The relevance of this scientific observation:
Quarks are indivisible and cannot be broken down into smaller components.
This brings me to a tiny, very low-weight motor that I doubt could be broken down into a smaller component.
According to Damien Alfano, founder of Quarkus, it is a ‘unique supercar concept that’s said to be “born for the track, homologated for the road and aimed at gentlemen drivers.’
According to scientific specifications, the Quarkus weighs less than 500 kg, about half the weight of a Mazda MX5.
It takes the smallest of engines, a 1,000 cc that somehow happily spins at 10,000 rpm.
Even more impressive, Quarkus are developing an even smaller elementary particle, the P3, which will have a power-to-weight ratio of 494bhp per tonne.
For context, the Porsche GT3 RS has a power-to-weight ratio of 375bhp per tonne.
Quarkus is entering the P3 in the Pikes Peaks Challenge to make its production debut in 2026.
I still have no idea what an elementary particle is or its impact on physics, but if Quark’s ambitions meet expectations, that will be a scientific miracle.
