Interesting Aerodynamic Cars (Mike Vetter's ETV, also Avion)

[Frank Lee]

Check that hood/windshield angle out...

[Arragonis]

The Automobile (UK car mag for pre-1960s enthusiasts) had the full story a few months ago - I meant to scan it but Mrs A had a tidy up frenzy...

Apparently it sold very poorly and according to a test drive it was quite bad to drive and noisy at the higher speeds envisaged. Passenger comfort was no better than a 'conventional' car so it didn't sell.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Check that hood/windshield angle out...

Maybe that's not a problem: The lower half of the front is shaped like the bow of a ship, splitting air downward and out to the sides, so it is not scooped up onto the windshield. And the curvature of the windshield may be more or less optimal - notice the lack of windshield wipers.

The noise could be caused by the fore and aft fins.

[Hubert Farnsworth]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

Then of course came the Rover SD1 (aka Rover 3500) which had a hatch from new.



which was also sold in the US but suffered the same 'sealed beams are good' madness that the XM featured by PW above (as well as the Jaguar XJS, Citroen CX and any FIAT models) did.



I include the SD1 mainly as at the time of it's launch BL made a feature of it's shape claiming it would save fuel. Mind you the twin carb-fed 3528cc OHV V8 (actually a developed version of the 1950s Mercury lightweight alloy V8 bought by Rover in the 1960s) linked to a 3-speed auto kind of offset any advantage that aero may have given it.

My only memory of an SD1 is the V8-S (think V8 but even more thirsty but much faster) which was owned by the uncle of my friend. I sat in the front and savoured the V8 roar and neck-snapping starts...

...until the can of coke on the front shelf fell into my lap. Which was nice, especially as this was on my way to school. I was comfortable for the day sitting in a lot of sugar water.

Interestingly Rover thought the V8 was thirsty so they went for the Iceberg project which would turn the V8 into a Diesel engine. Not that this was ambitious of course - turning a light-alloy V8 into a long stroke Diesel engine...

http://ateupwithmotor.com/compact-an...e-3800-v6.html

"In 1963, the British automaker Rover was looking for a new engine to power its top-of-the-line cars. Their existing P5 saloon had an elderly 3.0 L (180 cu. in.) straight six that was too heavy and too thirsty for its modest output. During a trip to the U.S., Rover managing director William Martin-Hurst encountered a marine conversion of the Buick 215, and decided that it was precisely what Rover needed. The aluminum V8 was smoother and significantly more powerful than Rover's ancient six, and hardly any heavier. Martin-Hurst knew that GM was discontinuing the aluminum engine, so he approached Buick general manager Ed Rollert and offered to purchase the manufacturing rights.

The deal was concluded in the fall of 1964, giving Rover the rights to the design, all of Buick's records and technical drawings, and a number of unused production engines. Rover hired Buick chief engine designer Joe Turley, who was about to retire, and moved him to England to oversee the establishment of the new production line. For Rover use, the 215 was set up for sand casting, rather than die casting. It also received a variety of minor modifications, including pressed-in (rather than cast-in) cylinder liners, a different crankshaft, and British-made carburetors and accessories. It ended up around 55 pounds (25 kg) than its Buick predecessor, although it was still quite light for its size and displacement."

[euromodder]

Here's another one, albeit a somewhat crude attempt.


The Peugeot 404 Diesel Record
At one time it held 22 records !

Peugeot 404 Diesel Record: Sochaux must go on - Rekorddiesel




Click on one of the images for a gallery.
If you get a grey band across the page (Ads ?) , click it twice and it'll go away.

[NachtRitter]

Did I read it right? 12L/100km for the Peugot? With an average speed of 160km/h?

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by NachtRitter

Did I read it right? 12L/100km for the Peugot? With an average speed of 160km/h?

Yes.
Sounds silly now, doesn't it

It was a speedrecords machine, not really about fuel economy

[Varn]

I used to get 17mpg on a 450 suzuki endurance road racer. Average speed 70-80mph depending on track. Had to refuel every hour.

20mpg at 100mph seems reasonable.

Originally Posted by euromodder

Yes.
Sounds silly now, doesn't it

It was a speedrecords machine, not really about fuel economy

[Big Dave]

Just getting a Peugeot diesel to run at all is remarkable.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by Christ

Something must have been ridiculously wrong in that report or their testing.

The only excuse for that is their inability to actually reach max speed due to other components. At Cd 0.19, and 2200 lbs, with 115HP that car should have had no problem exceeding 125MPH.

Remember 1hp in 1960 is only about .7 HP today. Our measurement methods differ and obviously the drivetrain and gear ratios today are probably a bit better, not to mention carb'd motors have certain irritating issues.