SPY SHOTS: XRAY XB2 prototype uncovered

0 Feb. 5, 2015, 8:04 a.m.

2/5/2015
By Aaron Waldron

LiveRC.com

XRAY's first 1/10-scale 2WD buggy, the XB4 2WD, surfaced a few years ago - but it was essentially a modified version of the brand's 4WD platform. The chassis even retained the inline-mounted motor and shaft-driven rear differential, and while the car faired quite well on European tracks made of carpet and astroturf, getting the car to work well on a variety of surfaces proved to be a bit more difficult.

Last weekend, XRAY team drivers debuted a new XB2 prototype at the EOS opener in Berlin, and Martin Bayer finished on the podium while Martin Wollanka rounded out the top five. XRAY was careful not to include any photos of the car in the press release, but a Facebook user by the name of "Mar Bye" alerted us to photos taken of the car in the pit area - presumably when no one was looking.

The latest version of the XB2 looks rather like a conventional mid-motor 2WD buggy with a four-gear transmission, with the dual-disk slipper clutch mounted to the spur gear on the left side of the car. It has a molded tub chassis and carbon fiber shock towers, and the battery in this test mule is a shorty pack mounted transversely. Of course, it's difficult to discern details without getting to examine the car more closely, but there seems to be a few interesting items - including the rear bulkhead, which looks like it may allow for changes to the platform's length, or at least moving the rear shocks to the front of the arms. The transmission is very low-profile, with the motor shaft on the same plane as the top shaft.

We don't know much else about the XB2, so until more information is released you'll have to go with what's available in these photos!