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Old 03-25-2014, 06:43 PM   #49 (permalink)
aerohead
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how close

Quote:
Originally Posted by brucepick View Post
Aerohead and NeilBlanchard, how close do you think the current body shape comes to the template? Any guess as to Cd?

Ima specifically asking about the main body. The enclosed front fairings are improved over the previous open fender version. The need to turn for steering seems to preclude adding a tapering tail to the fairing.
I'm with Frank,in that she's taller than she is wide,so you might predicate the aero on a wing section rather than the Template.If she weren't a tandem they could boat tail the cabin as with the P-38 Lightning,or Varna Diablo,etc. and that would help with the roofline,as most air would be going besides,rather than over.You might kill any vortices this way.
The thing Neil says about frontal area I think is it's strong point.Porsche is only recently giving up on it's high drag steep roof,as with Panamera.They've relied in part of relatively small frontal areas for performance.Elio is quite small in that way.
The simple front gives a nod to stability and the spectre of product liability class-action lawsuits should owners invert and crash with terrestrial objects passing through the vehicles canopy.
The simplicity helps hold cost down and it leaves room for incremental improvements in future units which could retrofit to the existing fleet.
I don't guess worth a flip.I think Neil's appraisal on potential Cd is very realistic.
She's no Edison-2,Aptera,or Sylph.
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