The Dirigo project started as an Automotive X Prize car and is completing its first Rally Green as I write this. It is a small diesel reverse trike based on a Kawasaki Mule with a custom bodywork. I has a "boat-tail" made of wooden strips. From the back it looks just like an overturned wooden canoe.
The team has been on a cross country rally with minimal publicity and minimal fan support. They will end the rally in San Francisco tomorrow, Aug 20. I am sure they would appreciate seeing you if you are in the Bay Area.
The power needed to push an object through a fluid increases as the cube of the velocity. Mechanical friction increases as the square, so increasing speed requires progressively more power.
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Thanks for posting that great car! Looking at the wooden boat tail made me wonder if you could take a canoe, cut it in half and then join the two halfs to make a boat tail?
Just wondering, any ideas? has this been done yet?
Their latest blog entry shows them getting "only" 80 mpg. However, they report Dirigo is was a real corner carver coming down Independence Pass in Colorado. These Mainiacs are definitely thinking outside the box.
The power needed to push an object through a fluid increases as the cube of the velocity. Mechanical friction increases as the square, so increasing speed requires progressively more power.
The rear of the trike looks decent but the nose could use some more work. Don't cut the canoe in half but use it for roof storage on a camping or biking trip. The shape and weight are what count. If you like the look get the wood grain decals.
vectra a - '95 Opel Vectra GLS 90 day: 37.51 mpg (US)
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love the design, just think the open front wheel wells are a little draggy... looks like what a lot of older sports cars had, and they all had not so nice Cd's despite looking pretty sleek
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