MillenWorks, known as Rod Millen Motorsports until 2005, was an American automotive technology company started by Rod Millen in 1980. The company began by preparing Millen's rally cars, and evolved into designing and building them. The company developed vehicles, high performance auto parts, and technology for racing,

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not ...

s, and the

US military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

. MillenWorks was acquired by

Textron Textron Inc. is an American industrial Conglomerate (company), conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Kautex, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft and Cessna b ...

in 2011.

Race cars

Some of the first cars designed and built by the company were the Pikes Peak

Toyota Celica The is an automobile produced by Toyota from 1970 until 2006. The Celica name derives from the Latin word ''wikt:coelicus, coelica'' meaning ''heavenly'' or ''celestial''. In Japan, the Celica was exclusive to ''Toyota Corolla Store'' Car deale ...

and Toyota Tacoma which Millen drove to overall victories in the

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile Hillclimbing, hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. The track measures and has over 156 tur ...

in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999. Other cars include the Championship Off-Road Racing Pro 4

Toyota Tundra The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck manufactured in the United States by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota since May 1999. The Tundra was the second full-size pickup to be built by a Japanese manufacturer (the first was the Toyota T100 ...

and the SCORE Toyota FJ Cruiser which competed in the

Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula, with a course of up to about 850 or more miles. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from ...

Concept cars

MillenWorks was often contracted to develop technologies for upcoming concept cars. They developed the revolutionary drivetrain seen on the Jeep Hurricane, which allows it to spin in place using independent four wheel steering. They also developed the hybrid electric

four wheel drive The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company, more often known as Four Wheel Drive (FWD), was a pioneering American company that developed and produced all-wheel drive vehicles. It was founded in 1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, as the Badger Four-Wheel Dr ...

system seen on the Ralliart

Mitsubishi Eclipse The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a sport compact car manufactured and marketed by Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsubishi over four generations for model years 1989-2011. A convertible body style was added during the 1996 model year. The first two generations ...

concept car, and many of the mechanisms seen on the Scion FUSE. Other projects included the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve,

Lexus IS The is a compact executive car ( D-segment in Europe) sold by Lexus, a luxury division of Toyota, since 1998. The IS was originally sold under the nameplate in Japan from 1998 until 2005 (the word ''Altezza'' is Italian for 'height' or 'high ...

430,

Porsche Carrera GT The Porsche Carrera GT (Project Code 980) is a mid-engine sports car that was manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Porsche from 2003 to 2006. ''Sports Car International'' named the Carrera GT number one on its list of Sports Car Intern ...

Concept, Toyota Ultimate Celica, Lexus Streetrod, and the Toyota Retrocruiser.

Military vehicles

MillenWorks also developed manned and

unmanned ground vehicle An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) also known colloquially as armored robot (ARB) is a vehicle that operates while in contact with the ground without an onboard human presence. UGVs can be used for many applications where it is inconvenient, dan ...

s and technology for the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, such as the

MillenWorks Light Utility Vehicle The MillenWorks Light Utility Vehicle (LUV) is a prototype testbed for automotive technologies. It was designed and built by MillenWorks under contract to the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center. Textron Marine and Land ...

. With Lord Corporation, they also developed an active magneto rheological suspension for the U.S. Army's

Stryker The Stryker is a family of Eight-wheel drive, eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in L ...

, which was tested at the Yuma Proving Grounds. They teamed with

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

on several other projects, including the RST-V, unmanned ground combat vehicle, Gladiator tactical unmanned ground vehicle, and the multifunctional utility/logistics and equipment (Mule) vehicle. They also developed diesel-electric drivetrains for the

HMMWV The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

, which were tested at the

Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units, ...

Gallery

Image:JeepHurricane1.JPG, The Jeep Hurricane Image:FCS-MULE-ARV-2007.jpg, The unmanned Multifunctional Utility/Logistics and Equipment Vehicle Image:Gladiator 240G.jpg, The Gladiator tactical unmanned ground vehicle

Performance parts

It also developed automotive performance parts for the

Mazda Miata The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-person sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda. The convertible is marketed as the or in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata () in the United States, and formerly in Canada, where it is now marketed as the ...

, and cooperated with

Toyota Racing Development Toyota Racing Development (also known by its abbreviation TRD) is the in-house tuning shop for all Toyota and Lexus (and formerly Scion (car), Scion) cars. ''TRD'' is responsible both for improving street cars for more performance and supportin ...

on parts for the

and Lexus IS300.

References

External links

MillenWorks.com
(old link which now redirects t
Textron Industrial
page) {{Textron Automotive motorsports and performance companies American racecar constructors Companies based in Orange County, California Tustin, California Military vehicle manufacturers