First look at upcoming HB D816 e-buggy, D815 RGT8 GT car, and CRF3 engine

0 Jan. 29, 2016, 1:19 p.m.

By Aaron Waldron
LiveRC.com

As first reported by Neobuggy (here and here) and RCNews (here), HB Europe will soon release details of the upcoming HB D816 1/8-scale electric buggy and D815 RGT8 GT-class car. An HB-badged Team Orion CRF3 engine is already available in some parts of the world.

The upcoming D816 brushless buggy is based on the drivetrain and suspension of the D815 buggy and derives from the 2014 World Championship-winning kit. Like the previous Ve8 model, the D816 features a purpose-built platform, rather than a simple conversion kit for the nitro chassis - which allowed the design team to optimize the chassis layout for exceptional weight balance. As seen in the image, the buggy will also feature a radical new body design.

The GT category of nitro on-road racing has grown in popularity in Asia, as well as North America and Europe, and HB has prepared the RGT8 based on the D815 off-road buggy.

The car has been in development for a while - a handful of prototypes competed at the inaugural Open GT World Cup in Kuala Lumpur last fall, where factory drivers Mongkolphan Lomrose (9th) and Jilles Groskamp (13th) both qualified for the final.

Rather than a center differential, the RGT8 is fitted with a two-speed transmission based on the unit found in the HB R8 1/8-scale on-road car. Special “ultra-hard” monocoque suspension arms, XXL anti-roll bars, big-bore ultra-short shocks, a special front bumper and GT-type body posts are included - but 90% of the RGT8’s parts are compatible with the D815 buggy.

The HB CRF3 is a product of Team Orion’s parent brand, Neidhart SA, which is also the European distributor for HB. The 3-port off-road racing engine is fitted with a large cooling head, Swiss bearings, and a crankshaft featuring Orion’s patented “CRF” technology.