Quote:
Originally Posted by Thenorm
when Ford went to a rounded aero front around 1997, sales dropped off, but the next gen with a squarer front and sales rebounded.
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Hmmm... similar thing with the 'Stang, wasn't it? They had a very attractive New Edge Mustang, but then they replaced it with the aerodynamic brick that was the retro Mustang, and sales skyrocketed...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xist
There have been some comments on here about how sharp broken carbon fiber is. It does not seem perfect for the parts more prone to encountering human flesh.
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Might be some difference between forged CF used in racing cars and hand-laid carbon-fiber on supercars, but I've never heard of it being a problem during supercar wrecks. And I've never heard of a driver being injured by CF during an F1 wreck... they're more a danger to the tires of other drivers, who stand to get a puncture from the shards that result when CF is used to dissipate the energy of a 100+ mph crash. A crash which would otherwise cause a lot of sharp, twisted metal bits to fly around if the car were made of metal, instead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thenorm
i think they said it was all the same alloy too, so that should simplify repairs a little bit.
audi's and jags have been all aluminum for the last little while. I think repair shops will be capable.
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Aluminum cars are $$,$$$.$$ to fix when you have body or frame damage. Has to do with the riveting process used.
Then again, modern cars are already $,$$$.$$ to repair, aluminum or not. High-tensile strength steel, airbags, pre-tensioners...
Worst are the hoods with explosive bolts that pop-up to protect pedestrians... one of the local Jags had the bolts go off on the racetrack when the driver hit a traffic cone. An "accident" that would cost little more than a good buffing in another car (if it were needed at all) turned into a very expensive parts replacement affair...
