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Old 07-09-2013, 09:23 AM   #682 (permalink)
NeilBlanchard
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Yes, the Calvin Bridges' Teardrop Car has motorcycle forks - I think for a reason, and that is to make more interior space available. And it points to the overall challenge of packaging in aerodynamic volumes; which are unfamiliar to most designers.

The Calvin Bridges' car has something in common with the Stella solar car and the Schlörwagen - the windshield is right at the very front of the car, and this is a challenge to the designer. The sightlines for the driver, and the use of space for the people is difficult to work out. The Schlörwagen has the driver in the center between the wheels, and the Calvin Bridges' is a left side driver position:



It also mentions that the Calvin Bridges' Teardrop weighs 700 pounds and gets ~70MPG.

The Arrowhead car had the driver in the center:


Another important issue is the Cg - the Calvin Bridges' car mentions that half of the weight is on the rear wheels, and that the Cg is ~20" above the ground. The Schlörwagen and the Arrowhead and the Dymaxion had the engine in the rear, which exactly where you do not want the heaviest piece in a three wheel vehicle. The Schlörwagen is a four wheel design, but apparently it was *not* a good handling car.

Cooling an ICE is another important design consideration, especially with the engine located in the very back of the car. The Tatra is another example of this.

So a low drag teardrop, three wheeled design that uses an ICE drivetrain has some serious design challenges.
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Last edited by NeilBlanchard; 07-09-2013 at 10:59 AM..
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