[Flieger]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

McLaren also benefited hugely from the manufacturing methods developed from the Porsche Carrera GT project. The same methods are also being used on the Porsche 918

Carbo Tech is the company behind build both the McLaren and Porsche chassis's, they are easily the best in the world. Not bad for what started out as a small Austrian company.

BMW I would say lead the world in high production carbon fibre manufacturing for the general automotive road cars.

As for nano tube technology, I have yet to see this bring any great impovements to the performance of carbon fibre structures. It is more of a sale gimmick than a technology leap.

The nano tubes are still in the lab. But they are making parts of a useful size that use the nanotubes to "cross link" the traditional PAN derived carbon fibers and improve the interlaminar shear strength and inhibit crack growth. Or at least that is my understanding. They are trying to improve mechanical strength via "doping" with small amounts of the nanotubes, while gaining thermal and electrical conductivity benefits as a bonus.