German experimentation with low Cd automobiles in the 1930's

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

The difficulty I have with this car is the super long hood and the Jaray greenhouse and roofline conspire to make the passenger compartment pretty tiny for such a large and long car. Two seats is all they managed to get in.

Those were the days of big (high) inline engines.

Today, the engine would be a lot smaller and further forward, increasing cabin space.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Cd

That rear slope angle looks a bit too steep for good attached flow, yet it is there.
Do you guys suppose this is a case of the side angles working together with the rear angle to keep flow attached - much the way the EV-1 had ?

It seems as though the air would spill over the sides with a side slope angle such as this and pull in any detached flow.

These cars are fashioned after Jaray's 'Kombination Form'.where the lower part of the body is the Cd 0.13 'pumpkin seed',with a symmetrical wingtip roof on top.
The air is supposed to go AROUND the sides of the roof on these cars,as with Rumpler's 'drop' car limousine.
The dramatic 'panoramic' windshield and plan taper of the greenhouse is critical to the cars performance.
The original,very tall,late 20s, (think ,Frank Lee's comment about Robert Cumberford's top hat))'slender' Jaray cars could fetch Cd 0.20.

[Cd]

Neil, you always find those rare images ! Thanks for posting.

After looking at the blueprints and comparing them to the full size car, I could see later that there was a lot of variations in the design.

The model is much closer to the actual car, and the slope of the rear is at less steep of an angle. ( thanks again Neil - i searched for an actual profile image of the car and came up with nothing )

[Cd]

So does the car still exist ?

[basjoos]

It was garaged near Fulda, Germany, and disappeared during the turmoil of WWII (blown up/stolen/vandalized/deteriorated/hauled off to the Soviet Union as a war prize/who knows).

[tjts1]

Pre war type 64 Porsche

[Frank Lee]

That thing is soooo cool!

[Sven7]

How long will it take for someone to make a replica of that Maybach?

[Eighty-Nine Si]

Maybach Exelero : 2005 | Cartype

Here is the Maybach Exelero, a modern homage to the 1930's (SW38-based) automobile. Personally, I think that the design quotes are a bit weak, although there is a definite "swoop" to the overall look. It needs fender skirts IMO.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by tjts1

Pre war type 64 Porsche

This car was Ferdinand Porsche's personal car which he would shuttle back and forth in,between Berlin and Stuttgart.
It had a remarkably high cruise speed for its low power.Seats were staggered to provide a narrow roof ,'n cut frontal area.