Making New Trick Bits :)
Sometimes I find myself pondering over how to make new 'trick' bits, its not always about making something for a performance benefit, but simply to try something new and make it better.
I've always found OEM plastic hosing can get a little tired and over time even crack, and one item which kept dawning on me requiring a make over is the main silicone pipe that connects the air intake to the throttle body/supercharger.
On first look the immediate 'want' was to have something with a nicer and smoother design which would take out the bellows and improve both the visual and as well as the air flow characteristics of the part.
There are no silicone variants on the market so I thought I'd commission my own design and tooling to get them made 
When reviewing the OEM design I found the need to include breathers on BOTH sides of the hose. Earlier versions of the Lotus Exige V6S would have the oil breather at the front, but later versions such as the Exige 350 Sport would have it are the rear (blue circles). 
Knowing the design would need to accommodate both earlier and later variants of the Lotus Exige V6S I sort to ensure the new design not only removed the main OEM bellows but also accommodated both options for either a front or rear oil breather. This way owners wouldn't have to worry about changing any other piping in the engine bay and keeps everything plug and play.
A joiner is CNC machined for the oil breather connection, and a CNC machined bung is also included for the unused secondary oil breather hole that becomes redundant (depending on model variant). Both the joiner and bung have a machined to create a secure and perfect grip which requires no additional jubilee clips.
For the eagle eyed among you, you'll notice the internal wall of the silicone hose is black vs the external orange silicone.
Silicone is porous and can be penetrated by oil and oil vapour in turn sweating the silicone and causing discolouration. Given the oil breather pipe goes into the hose I decided to play it safe by getting the internal wall of the hose fluoro lined which is a special lining formulated to prevent oil from penetrating the wall.
Its not cheap but its doing it properly!
Knowing folks would like a few different variations in colour depending on their own colour preferences I've had a limited sample made in Black, Red, and Orange. I have to admit the red and orange look awesome and I'm very jealous as I'm now regretting having a white car!
Unsure of red or orange on Panda, I decided to go with black for the OEM+ look, which works nicely with the CNC machined bung and joiner. Que worst pic ever >
Testing at Silverstone GP was a success, the intake hose retained a fixed and secure position through out the day, and the bungs and joiner lips ensured a tight grip and proved that extra bit of machining was worth it.
Product successfully tested and now available on limited release:
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I even had some fun testing against a Lamborghini Hurcan Performante ;)