Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard
The Lotus 38 has an internal duct to air curtain the open cockpit.  |
Colin Chapman wanted to challenge Indy traditionalists, he brought the Lotus 38 in traditional oval track bad-luck color, green. Besides the super-lightweight monocoque engineering, offset suspension lengths (aero-bad) and mid-engine configuration, he tried an aerodynamic experiment. He called it 'dual windshield'. See closer @ 4:58. Air from nose opening is ducted in between two layers of clear acrylic windshields to create an 'air curtain' or bubble over the cockpit. Combined packaged, decreased 10% drag compared to Kurtis Kraft competitors.