Aero concept car: Bugatti Stratos - "real" or "sylistic" aero?
 

Got it. Time to move on.

What do you think of this:
http://i.imgur.com/Phv77.jpg

Beautiful! Looks good aero wise, except that I think the back slope is a bit too abrupt. About 18-20 degrees is max most folks are willing to risk on strictly a functional basis. But it is certainly pretty. I'd buy one just for the looks:)

What is it?

http://i.imgur.com/FwPUj.jpg

Bugatti Stratos by Bruno Delusso

I thought I'd found it here; but I glanced through the thread again and didn't find it:
Fourtitude.com - Fender Skirts: Sometimes They Work, Other Times Not So Much...

freebeard that car is quite gorgeous. The back transition straight into the ground doesn't look like it would do much good, but I do enjoy the attempt to make the entire front end of the car a massive airfoil. That is a big part of my designs.

As stated, I can't find the source. Looks like a computer graphic concept car to me.

MTrenk -- What struck me was the daylight arch underneath. There was a car tested in a wind tunnel that had that feature and it had really good cross-wind performance. I tried to find it (Italian? 1960s?), but all I learned is don't search Google Images for "banana car", you'll lose all hope for humanity. :)

If it uses the Buggati W16 quad turbo does it matter what it's CD is for fuel economy? LOL

Stratos
 

As art,it's delicious! I'd like a coffeemaker shaped like that.As a car,it would be compromised aerodynamically as others have already mentioned, and it would necessarily require active suspension all -around for the SAE breakover and departure angle clearances.
The arch is reminiscent of Dr.Alberto Morelli's CNR 'banana car' of 1978,developed at Pininfarina's wind tunnel.

It's all starting to come together, where you say 'Morelli banana car' I think "Pininfarina banana car'. Frank Lee had pointed me in the right direction.

Yesterday I happened across this:
http://i.imgur.com/u6FGg.jpg
Volkswagen Outside Concept

Sort of the opposite approach. It won a design competition in Brazil in 2011.

outside
 

I'd look to see if this car makes it into a sci-fi motion picture like AI.

Not a fan of any of the designs, but as to whether it's functional or stylistic aero, what's the car's top speed? The faster the car's top speed, the more functional the aero must be.

I saw a quote on the wall this last weekend at the Auto Museum:

"Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines" Enzo Ferrari

I'm pretty sure these designs are unbuilt, although the Bugatti one is presumed to have the W16 out of the Veyron.

High speeds would bring out the flaws in these styling exercises. I think they're interesting for the different ways they handle underbody airflow.

There was a thread on the underbody that the mods spun this one out of.

As much as aero matters, power matters for top speed. Aero can be amazing and have little power, or there can be crazy power with no regard to aero. So it depends if they put a W in it or a 3 cylinder.

Didn't he also say something along the lines of the chassis was just there to support the engine ?

Just around the time Cooper, Vanwall and Lotus overtook his cars with fire pump engines ?

Did you know about this:
JCB Dieselmax – powering the World's Fastest Diesel Vehicle

Here's another quote from the Museum:
"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough" Mario Andretti

Well, yes and no. If the aero is wrong, the engine can make the car fly. I beleive someone here posted this pic in another post?

http://thenerdinsurance.us/wp-conten...er_flip_01.jpg

This should only happen if one lets more lift occur than downforce, to my knowledge. And it is not yes and no. It does not matter how bad the aero is, if one can add power, it can go faster. It may not be efficient or useful, but it can. Aero has a terminal point. Power does, but it is much easier to find the aero limit than power. Fron NA, to direct injection, turbo, super, dual air induction, different fuels, electric power, so on. How low can we make drag? At least, while staying on the ground, in our atmosphere.

I am not saying aero does not matter in the essence of automotives.

You asked what their top speed is, on these non production cars without engines. Well, their top speed depends on their engine. If one put a w12 or 16 quad turbo into an F150, I reckon it would have a higher top speed than these concepts with 300 hp in them.

Yes, aero matters. But aero x power = top speed

Excellent, then we are in agreement. :D

I guarantee you neither of those "concepts" exist. I also guarantee you Bugatti had nothing to do with that "Bugatti concept".

Looks like an aero mess.

^Agreed.

Every car designer (or car doodler like me) has a Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic rendering somewhere. The original one still looks the best TBH.

As for Aero, its more in the looks than the reality, and the chassis was just there to support the body as it took its owner and his mistress to dinner at a sedate 40-50 MPH - For example this rather fierce looking "Lorry" could outrun it.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?source=i...fK3Fl5ego-kBFg

In an age of 3D printers, can you be sure?

Here's one that did reach production, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta:
http://i.imgur.com/eOEOp.jpg

It has sort of an external duct that leads from the bottom of the windshield to behind the front wheel to bleed off high pressure air. It reminds me of the Dodge Copperhead:
http://i.imgur.com/AFkLW.jpg