General Motors Ultralite Show Car
The Advanced Engineering Staff of General Motors designed a technology demonstration vehicle called the Ultralite, an automobile with interior room capable of seating four full size adults, and with excellent visibility, handling, performance, emissions and fuel consumption. Scaled Composites was selected to design the composite structure for this revolutionary vehicle.
A carbon fiber skin/PVC core sandwich panel structure was chosen for all the primary and secondary structure for the 10 chassis/body components.
Two complete all-graphite vehicle structures were designed, fabricated, and ready for delivery within 12 weeks after program start. The vehicle’s structural weight, including two doors, front and rear bumpers and interior components, was 420 lbs, which was within 1% of the original structural weight estimate.
The Ultralite program conclusively demonstrated Scaled's unique structural design capabilities, stringent weight control, and rapid response characteristics, as well as its ability to work well as part of a team under a very tight schedule.
A carbon fiber skin/PVC core sandwich panel structure was chosen for all the primary and secondary structure for the 10 chassis/body components.
Two complete all-graphite vehicle structures were designed, fabricated, and ready for delivery within 12 weeks after program start. The vehicle’s structural weight, including two doors, front and rear bumpers and interior components, was 420 lbs, which was within 1% of the original structural weight estimate.
The Ultralite program conclusively demonstrated Scaled's unique structural design capabilities, stringent weight control, and rapid response characteristics, as well as its ability to work well as part of a team under a very tight schedule.

Founded in 1982 by Burt Rutan, Scaled has broad experience in air vehicle design, tooling and manufacturing, specialty composite structure design, analysis and fabrication, and developmental flight tests of air and space vehicles.
Founder, 





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