Cookie Cutter Cars as a Result of Aerodynamics

[aerohead]

H.Schmude,GM Styling Staff,to Walter Korff,Lockheed Aircraft Corp.,at annual SAE Congress,1963,(paraphrasing)
"If cars were designed for low drag,would they not all look alike,and stylists have nothing to do?"

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by ksa8907

Still waiting for someone to take the plunge and design an engine around e85.

A flexboost diesel could handle E85 today, just need a pair of common rails for every cylinder (oh wait that already happens on certain things)

[Fat Charlie]

Here's the 2025 Suburban

[RedDevil]

Aerohead already pointed out the Insight, but look...

Here's the 2025? 1999 Insight

[user removed]

With 100 pounds of lithium batteries.

regards
mech

[Cd]

I call bull on all cars having to look identical due to aerodynamics.
As an example, just look at the Gen 1 Insight and the Lexus LS430 - both have the exact same Cd.
There are plenty of areas for the stylist to do whatever they want.

[aerohead]

In 1963,Walter Korff commented that stylists would have a great degree of latitude with cars down to Cd 0.20.
In 1969,R.G.S.White,at MIRA,commented that Cd 0.25 could be achieved with virtually all contemporary shapes.
A few years further on the head of Ferrari said the same thing.
In the mid-80s,Wolf Hucho also spoke of the creative license availed to stylists,when talking about vehicles with around Cd 0.25.
To venture into really low drag,either half-bodies or wing-type shapes would be required,as only these forms guarantee attached flow over the entire length of the vehicle.
Length becomes an issue,just as in the 1930s with Fachsenfeld's and Kamm's K-form car.
Here,Hucho suggested we revisit the 1930's 'extensible' tail,which would only be deployed on the highway.

[gone-ot]

...and, that "extensible" tail could/would/should be labelled aerodynamic "rear-end collision" bag!

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...and, that "extensible" tail could/would/should be labelled aerodynamic "rear-end collision" bag!

That might put it in a favorable light with the NHTSA.

[Cd]

" In 1969,R.G.S.White,at MIRA,commented that Cd 0.25 could be achieved with virtually all contemporary shapes. "

And here are the two cars I mentioned earlier - and both are at Cd 0.25 .
This is a good visual example of what you mentioned Phil.

I got to thinking about something related to these two cars. Toyota ( Lexus ) gives a quote of .25 for the Lexus LS 430 when it had the optional air suspension.
Honda gave a Cd of .25 for the Gen 1 Insight.
Recently, as we have seen, the Insight has been degraded to a .30 when tested in a different tunnel.
In this same tunnel, a Gen 3 Prius was tested at .26 - so only one count off of the factory figure.
If Toyota tested the Lexus LS 430 in the same tunnel as the Prius, then that would mean it has a Cd of .26 versus .30 for the Insight.

So the LS 430 could be four counts better than the Insight !

Thats a lot of freedom for designers between the two shapes.