Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
The Kammback citing may have been used in the context of separation-free flow up to the point where the car body was chopped off.And with Cd0.37,the K-cars were remarkably "cleaner" than their contemporaries.And yes,the K-cars did have cross-wind stability problems.The up-shot is that Dr.Morrelli solved that one back in the 1980s,so we're better protected from those challenges.
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If the K-car you are talking about is the 1978 Pontiac Firebird Wagon (see attachment), IMHO it is a "truncated hatchback" which is different from a "Kamm Back". Examples of a "truncated hatchback" would be AMC Gremlin & Lancia Y10. In the 60's and 70's it was common station wagon to have a roll-down back window built into the back wagon door. A station wagon is nothing more than a "truncated 4 door sedan." With the rear window cracked open carbon monoxide poisoning from the exhaust was a threat due to the low pressure at the rear.
Drag Racer Don Schumacher's Vega Station Wagon called the "Wonder Wagon" did not last very long. The truncated 2-door had a bad reputation of poor handling near the finish line. Don kept the name and switched to a coupe.
0.37CD is the same as the Volkswagen Tiguan (SUV). Always thought SUV, aero & CD in the same sentence was an oxymoron.
A true Kamm Back has
flowing tapered lines and then sharply truncate the end. The best racing example of a Kamm Back may be the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe (below). Others examples are the 1970-86 Citroen GS, 1984-91 Honda CRX, 1992-98 Mazda MX-3, Insight, & Prius.
Professor Wunibald Kamm, head of the Automotive Research Institute at the Stuttgart Technical College developed his Kamm Back theory to shorten the length of a tear-drop-rear-end design and still have a good aero/CD.
The Fastest Indian was a little Hollywood
but Burt took his Indian Streamliner Motorcycle to Bonneville 12 years in a row. The movie had to condense the 12 years into 90 minutes. Burt is one of the true LEGENDS/ICONS of high speed racing.
IMHO if the Kamm Back was the answer to an aero rear end design, then high speed bicycle and gravity racers would use a Kamm back in lieu of a tear-drop design.