First patent application was sent on 3.5.2013

[lowglider]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

266 km/h in a very small car is quite something different from 180 km/h (112 mph) in a big car. Incomparable, in fact.
I have driven several cars over Germany's Autobahns at speeds close to their max. I can tell you that a smal car like the '85 Honda Civic Mark 3 becomes hard to control at 180 km/h while it works perfectly well at 175. The Lupo is smaller than the Civic was.
A Mazda 3 series was fine up to 205 but not beyond.
An Impreza Turbo WRX can do 245 and still feel stable, but it has a lot of fairings and a big wing all designed to create downforce.
Even German car companies get it wrong sometimes, like Audi did with the first gen TT; a small but powerful car that became lethally unstable at top speed.

Of cars rhat have crashed at those speeds it can be quite hard to determine the make and model and retrieve more than 90% of the driver.

Sorry, but I tend to disagree. The Lupo is not and 80s car, this one is lowered with a flat underbody and I don`t doubt that Vekke will put a bigger diffuser on the rear if he will need it for stability.
90s modified Honda Civics go way over 300 km/h when modified with big turbos, so going over 250 km/h with this streamlined Lupo shouldn`t be a big issue.

The most important factor in achieving the top speed in this case is probably the gearing because peak horsepower rpm must be exactly at the point of maximum speed in order to squeeze the most out of it.

And besides, arguing about the top speed isn`t the point here, Lupo 2l is basically a solo project with very limited time and funding and yet it puts our global 800 billion $ car industry to shame.

And for that I take my hat off to Vekke

[RedDevil]

It all comes down to whether the engine is the same or not. With the standard 3L engine and 60 horsepower, no way it is going past 200 km/h. The gearing in the 3L is long, that should not hold it back. Lack of power will.

Vekke's original assumption was that 35% less drag would result in 35% higher speed. I assume that he meant with the original engine.
My estimate is that it can reach 190 km/h, which is very fine for a high economy vehicle.
Hats off for that.

Don't blame the 800 billion $ industry for not making cars that they can't sell at a profit. They make what we want to buy new. Even over here, with the highest gas prices in the world, most people hardly want to make compromises for fuel economy.
I don't like that, but it just happens to be so.

[lowglider]

I know what you mean, but if you look at market history the most profit has always been made with revolutionary products that many could make and yet did not. Be it a cheap car, a sugary drink , a place where you get a whole meal in 5 minutes or a good looking cellphone, it does not matter.
Most high MPG cars are a market anomaly because on one side they are intended for frugal people and on the other side they usually cost more to buy than regular models.
Can you smell the billions of dollars just waiting for someone to pick them up from the ground?

[RedDevil]

Saw the vid on the 3L->2L thread, yes the engine has been upgraded...

With 120 hp and the aero work and the right gearing 240+ km/h should be attainable.
If you succeed in making a car that can both do 2 l/100 km and 240 km/h (though not at the same time) that would be really staggering.
Good luck, be careful.

[Vekke]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoAqNIMCp8Y

First version:
Do I need to change or reshot anything else?
Is it too long etc?