Captain Marck Carey, racecar innovator.

Most every enthusiast at some time or other builds the ultimate machine in his mind. Some do it while among friends - known as a 'bench racing' session. The newest trend is to dream in cyberspace - in chat rooms and fora among total strangers from diverse places all across the world.

But not many of those dreams actually solidify. Being dreams, they tend to cost a lot. Things with 'dream' in front of them usually do - dream house, dream car, dream girl ... well, you get the picture. For those with money, it is much easier - turnkey cars are a dime a dozen, if you have enough dimes.

The engineering that goes into one of these modern go-fast jobs will give your average PhD serious brain freeze. Tech costs. How fast do you wanna go?

Then there are the people with real talent - folks with the skills and the know-how, but short on the long green. Whereas 'Daddy Warbucks' builds his ride with his cheque book - and get their turn key stallion in less than a month - real rodders build from the heart. Such projects take years to come to fruition. Not all drop from the tree.

Captain Marck Carey is not a man of paltry means. He flies for Air Jamaica, and his wife is a medical practitioner. His family is surrounded by the requisite middle-class trappings - brand-new SUV, older pickup, Acadia residence and two kids.

similarities

However, right there the similarities with middle-class living end.

His man cave consists of a computer on a workstation and shelves - no, reams - of automotive scripture. That's it (though it is rather close to the kitchen). It's like his thought process ... if it's not necessary, it doesn't need to be there.

On the computer are pictures of his travels to places and events that mere mortals only dream about. He's been to Goodwood and sat in and taken pictures of one of the most famous CAN-AM cars in the world, the late great Mark Donohue's 1500 hp 917/30 Porsche - the one in which coolant ran in the frame rails to minimise chassis distortion due to heat - and countless others.

Donohue was also known for his ability to set up and tweak the racecars he drove. He had an 'Unfair Advantage' because of this, and actually wrote a book of his exploits bearing the same name.

But our fly boy ain't all about the theoretical.

aeronautical studies

He has a first degree in aeronautical studies - with a minor in aviation maintenance technology - but even with his training, it takes serious discipline (and a MOST understanding wife!) to conceptualise and will into reality the lump that sits in his one bay-covered garage.

Carey has built a winged, space-framed, carbon fibre-bodied Evo VI prototype-style racer. The carbon fibre was laid right here in Jamaica. The engine was also built here. The tube chassis space frame was math'd out on the computer in the man cave and built in his one-car garage. By him.

He's had his fair share of detractors. Folks on the Internet have tried to suck some air from under his wings. Some have said that because of its complexity, it would never be finished.

But the frame has been done for more than a year - and is now painted. The body panels all have their spot on the chassis, and have been finished in clear coat. The wiring has been completed. The dash, brakes and computer air management system are in place. It has been together - and apart - many times. The 4G6X was put in its final resting place months ago.

The last thing to be put in their final resting place is his detractors. On Wednesday, at 2 a.m., the Mitsubishi lump roared to life. No, it didn't happen at first try. But as a testimonial to the soundness, Carey's dream, and his own troubleshooting skills - with that oxymoronic melodious cacophony - the Carey assault on the Dover Thundersport Title has officially begun. It is no longer a matter of if. The only question is when. Move over, Summerbell. You are about to have company.

Email feedback to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.

Rear mounted radiator gets air directed by NACA ducts from the roof. Longitudinal airflow is also directed via a diffuser under the car in ways that give high downforce at racing speeds. Carbon-fibre manifolding for radiator made right here in Ja. Wheels are 15-inch Volk Racing on Goodyear G19 Slicks. The alternator can just be made out under the right coil-over.

Front and rear coil-overs are mounted inboard, apparently to save unsprung weight. Carey says the suspension travel has been limited to three inches front and rear. Doing so, however, has caused packaging problems in the engine bay - the alternator is positioned at the rear and run off the rear driveshaft. Four-pot calipers provide stopping power, mounted on 12" rotors front and rear. In true Endurance racing tradition, the exhaust exits before the front left tyre.

A racer's dream.

The steering knuckle is a stock Evo 1 part but you won't find those tubular control arms under the average street Evo. They were manufactured by Herr Kapitan himself. He wanted a suspension that could be tuned to the infinitesimal degree. He may have just got there. Sway bar can be adjusted to stiffen load suspension. Note: No rubber mountings to create slop. Is this a racecar or what?

Every Mitsubishi fan's heartbeat: the venerable 4G63 lump. Or is it? Looks may be deceiving. Direct fire distributorless ignition, Haltech engine management, Garrett GT3076R Turbo, Crower Cams - the recipe of which is a closely guarded secret - and it has a dry sumped, scavange-pumped oil system. While boost pressure was not disclosed, Captain did say he needed 400+ hp to be competititve. - Photos by Mario James

Carey's 'Knight Rider' lurks in the dark.