CORVOA division of Roadster Republic
Engineered in small numbers
CORVO is where Roadster Republic makes things out of metal. Considered objects for the car, designed and documented in the open.
CORVO-001Shift knob
A shift knob in development. The gear lever is one of three things a driver actually holds, and it is the one most often replaced with something shaped for a photograph rather than a hand. Form, balance, and material are being settled through prototypes rather than declared in advance.
Prototype development. Not in production and not available to order.
CORVO-001 · Specification
Figures come from the digital model and the approved design targets, not from a production part. They will be confirmed or corrected by the prototypes.
- Material
- 6061-T6 aluminiumDesign intentTitanium and brass are planned as later versions.
- Weight
- About 214 gCalculatedAluminium body with the steel insert fitted.
- Size
- 64 mm tall · 50 mm crownDesign intentA palm-filling crown on a slim neck.
- Balance
- Neutral to lowCalculatedWeight carried low in the body, not in the crown.
- Fitment
- Mazda MX-5 Miata (NA, NB)ProvisionalThe first car it is developed on. Another car needs another insert, not another knob.
- Thread
- M10 × 1.25ProvisionalCarried by the replaceable insert.
- Finish
- Bead blastPlannedBlack anodise planned once hand feel is confirmed on a real part.
How it is made
The hand first
A shift knob is touched hundreds of times a drive, almost always without looking, so the hand is the first customer and the camera is the last. There is no knurling, no finger grooves and no decorative facets. The crown is shaped for palm and fingertip shifting alike, and nothing on it catches the skin mid-shift.
Weight, and where it sits
The aluminium assembly calculates to 214 g, inside a 205–220 g target. An earlier 250 g target could not be reached in this shape without spoiling it, so it was replaced rather than kept as a number to print. 41.9% of the mass sits below the midplane: a neutral-to-low balance you feel rather than read about.
One knob, more than one car
The vehicle thread lives in a replaceable steel insert, not in the knob. The insert is also the ballast that sets the balance, seated low in the base. Supporting another car means machining another insert, not redesigning the knob.
Made to come apart
Two separate mechanical joints hold the insert, one against rotation and one against pull-out, and neither relies on adhesive. Swapping it is a one-fastener job with ordinary tools. The arrangement is resolved on paper and stays provisional until it has been proven on metal.
One shape, three metals
In development
Aluminium
6061-T6
The first material, and the one the prototype is cut from. A fine bead-blast finish, with hard anodise planned once the hand feel is confirmed.
Under evaluation
Titanium
Grade 5
The same shape at about 312 g in the current study, with its inside tuned to keep the same balance. Left in its natural finish.
Planned
Brass
C360
The same shape, targeted at 440–480 g. A satin finish, meant to age with use.
Only aluminium has been made. Titanium and brass are digital studies.
Where it is
- 01ConceptCharter, form language and envelope.Done
- 02Digital engineeringParametric model, mass and balance.Done
- 03Shape lockedThe outside changes now only on evidence.Done
- 04Physical prototypeThe first aluminium part, for fit and feel.Now
- 05In the carFit, feel and durability on the road.Ahead
- 06RefinementChanges driven by what the parts teach.Ahead
- 07ProductionFinal drawings and a qualified supplier.Ahead
- 08ReleaseThe first production run, in the shop.Ahead
Build journal
Latest · Entry 008The Check We Did Not HaveThe machine shop's production review caught a part that could not be assembled, and caught it before cutting. The adapter fit its seat perfectly and could never have reached it. The revision that fixes it matters less than the check that should have found it first.All 8 entriesQuestions
- Can I buy one?
- Not yet. CORVO-001 is a prototype, with physical testing, time in the car and production validation still ahead of it. There is no release date and no price. When it can be ordered, it will be in the shop beside everything else Roadster Republic makes.
- What will it fit?
- The Mazda MX-5 Miata is the car it is developed on, NA and NB first. The thread is carried by a replaceable insert, so other cars are a matter of making other inserts. No fitment is confirmed until it has been checked on hardware, car by car.
- How heavy is it?
- The aluminium version calculates to about 214 g. Titanium studies at about 312 g, and brass is targeted at 440–480 g. These come from the digital model, not from a scale.
- Where is it made?
- Prototypes are sourced with a preference for local and US machine shops, where a machinist’s feedback comes back fastest. Production sourcing has not been decided.
Hear when it is ready
CORVO news goes out with Waypoint, the Roadster Republic newsletter: prototype notes, what testing finds, and the day it can be ordered.