Thanks for the comments. y'all.
> I was suggesting with the foam is a sort of radiused effect behind the
> wheel, like on the original Honda Insight.
Well, if you could see it from the top you'd see the sides are tapered in behind the rear wheels...but you'd have to read my mind 'cause I haven't drawn it yet.
> I rather like the idea of fiberglass (or whatever) over foam, especially
> given that there's a lot of experience in the experimental aircraft
> community.
Yep, that's where most of mine came from.
> it just seems to me that the pontoon fender style body is always going to
> be inherently "dirty" from an airflow standpoint.
For those that <can> see my avatar (that little orange car) you'll see there's an unnecessary gap 'twixt the upper part of the fender and the hood/bonnet. My excuses are it's inexpensive, it can adapt to a variety of track widths and engine sizes, and I've already made the fender molds so might as well give it a try.
> To look to history for an example of a "clean" body shape that would also
> be easy to construct, how about the Bugatti Type 32 Tank?
I'm not convinced it's clean--I think it slopes down too steeply in the back. That Bugatti looks to me like a car that's begging for a Kamm tail. It sure would be easy to make, though, and MAX only goes 71.5 mph so I don't think lift is a problem. Comments?
> You might wind up with something that looks like it escaped from the prop
> room of the Buck Rodgers serials, but I for one don't think that's a bad
> thing!
I hear you. To quote my own web site re the long green Kamm tail, "... it has the designed-by-committee look—a committee of Paul Jaray, Wunibald Kamm, Jules Verne and George Jetson." If I made it out of hammered copper it would look totally steampunk.
> Looks like you have a lot of work to do to this thing. Any stats on what is
> under the hood, um "bonnet"?
Heck yeah, this car is as open source as I can make it--the web site gets down to what clutch disk and pressure plate you need. It's a Kubota D1105-T, a turbocharged three cylinder industrial engine, 32 horses with steaming flanks. It's mated to a RWD Toyota Corolla T-50 transmission, five speed, overdrive 5th.
> ...for nascar cooling systems that are fully ducted in and out, the rule of
> thumb is about 4 square inches per 25 horsepower produced.
At what airspeed? Mine's a slowpoke. Based on that rule of thumb, I'd need an intake opening the size of a playing card. But I'm testing the question at present, with cardboard grill blocks and ducts, and I'll bet it ends up pretty dang small...not playing card small, but maybe trade paperback small.