Up close: the Volkswagen XL1

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Vman455

Browsing through my pictures from the museum, I just realized something--the XL1 uses an evolution of the Jaray two-body form that was put into production for the first time on the pre-war Tatra cars

AFAIK these Tatra cars were actually inter-war models. But anyway, they're awesome. On a sidenote, considering the claims that Volkswagen copied some features from the "Tatraplan" model, makes me wonder how many controversies could raise based on the similarities between the XL1 and the Tatra despite the timeframe between them...

[freebeard]

Bubble-top coupes

1963½ Mustang
Mercedes-Benz 300SL
1961 Chevrolet Impala [Pontiac and Olds]
Volvo P1800

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

AFAIK these Tatra cars were actually inter-war models. But anyway, they're awesome. On a sidenote, considering the claims that Volkswagen copied some features from the "Tatraplan" model, makes me wonder how many controversies could raise based on the similarities between the XL1 and the Tatra despite the timeframe between them...

They were designed pre-war (and Jaray wasn't associated with the company after the 1930s), but yes--the T87 at least was manufactured until 1950 IIRC.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Vman455

Browsing through my pictures from the museum, I just realized something--the XL1 uses an evolution of the Jaray two-body form that was put into production for the first time on the pre-war Tatra cars:









But, where those earlier cars use profile taper to a point on the lower body, the XL1 does not--but it does carry over the aggressive plan and profile taper of the upper body. Contrast with a shape more reminiscent of a Kammheck, like the first-generation Insight:



Or better yet, the third-generation Prius:



Kamm's idea was that more gentle taper of the full tail would create more interior volume and make for a more usable car. Jaray's more aggressively-tapered form only really worked when the engine was moved to the back. In fact, I'm struggling to think of an example of a production car using the Jaray form that wasn't rear-engine.

The 1924 Jaray,DIXI (BMW) was a front-engine car produced,although not a production vehicle.
A front-engined Jaray Ford of Cologne was constructed,although never put in production.
Adler,ditto.
Mercedes-Benz,ditto.
Maybach,ditto.
Auto-Union,ditto.
Carl Breer used it on the 1934-1/2 Chrysler,DeSoto Airflow aerodynamic test mule,of Cd 0.244.
There's a bunch of others,although never 'production' vehicles.It seems,no one was willing to pay Jaray's Streamline Car Corporation for a production license,and soon,du Pont/GM had already steered the entire global automotive market towards design obsolescence,'Paris dress maker' annual styling.People hated the 'look-alike' Jaray body.They preferred war.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Vman455

They were designed pre-war (and Jaray wasn't associated with the company after the 1930s), but yes--the T87 at least was manufactured until 1950 IIRC.

Although Hans Ledwinka associated Tatra with Jaray's aerodynamics,Paul Jaray had no control over what Ledwinka did at Tatra.
The Third Reich commandeered Tatras,along with anything that moved,however,after some fatal accidents due to extreme oversteer,officers were not permitted to dive the car over a certain speed.

[freebeard]

One would think that the officers would have had assigned drivers.

When I was a 2nd Lt. in the one-time RVN, I had a PFC from New York City crash the Jeep when he drove onto 3" of mud left by APCs that had left a rice paddy. Didn't brake at all until he was already on the mud.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

One would think that the officers would have had assigned drivers.

When I was a 2nd Lt. in the one-time RVN, I had a PFC from New York City crash the Jeep when he drove onto 3" of mud left by APCs that had left a rice paddy. Didn't brake at all until he was already on the mud.

We had a Toyota-built,Ford JEEP at Da Nang,and we weren't allowed to drive it over 25-mph,due to its propensity towards rollover.Spooky! Ralph Nader-bait.

[freebeard]

M-151 didn't roll, it bounced off a tanker truck. Popped me right out of the shotgun seat and I was sitting in 3" of mud. The [embedded Viet-Cong?] houseboy in the back hit his head on the truck and we rushed him to the hospital.

OTOH all the U-joints needed replacing every 1500 miles.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

M-151 didn't roll, it bounced off a tanker truck. Popped me right out of the shotgun seat and I was sitting in 3" of mud.

Last time I saw one of those was at a vintage military vehicles show 11 years ago.

[JulianEdgar]

Thanks for the pics - excellent details.

I saw the car at the Volkswagen museum in Germany. We were told that if we'd arrived earlier, we would could have had a drive! They were literally giving drives to people out the back of the museum. But we were too late. But I did get to sit in the car, though.