Meet the Schloerwagen! (and a question for aeroheads)

[Viturro]

Thanks for the info!

[kach22i]

FYI: A Hi-Res version of the image Frank Lee posted can be found below, click on the image and it gets huge.

DLR Portal - Portal - Schlörwagen-Strömungsbild

Translated caption reads:

The Schlörwagen was an experimental car that caused a stir in 1939. His Windschlüpfrigkeit, measured as the so-called drag coefficient (Cw), was sensationally low at 0.186. Additional measurements of VW in the seventies, a model confirmed that the Schlörwagen even a Cd of just 0.15. Today's passenger car range with a drag coefficient from 0.24 to 0.3 is not favorable to the aerodynamic shape of the car Schlör approach.
The picture shows a model of the Schlör car in the wind tunnel: the tight flow is clearly visible.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by connorkeyser

so I should abandon my nose cone plans?? hmm.

Not necessarily.
The Aerocivic has a nosecone.

You can shape it so that it prevents air from going under the car - where it'll do no good anyway - and guide it over the streamlined body of the car.

Or shape it so that it doesn't push out air to the sides - increasing apparent frontal area, and drag - or at least doesn't push out the air as much , by making the transition from nose to sides more gentle.

[kach22i]

The nose may not look like what you think it should.

See attachment.

[euromodder]

So, compared to a blunt nose, most everything is better - then again, most recent cars don't have the very blunt 1970s style noses any longer.

Best is the rounded , low nose that doesn't push air under the car - essentially what the Schlörwagen had.

[gone-ot]

...any air "under" the vehicle is basically "bad air"...with MOST designs (remember the Chaparral "suction-fan" cars?)

[kach22i]

Did you guys even look at the image I posted?

Do you not know of Luigi Colani's +300 mph Corvette?

Do you not know of Aptera - Alberto Morelli influenced designs?

Air under the car is bad most of the time, as most are not it's designed for it.

There are exceptions to every rule, and that is where the fun is.

[some_other_dave]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

(remember the MacLaren "suction-fan" cars?)

You mean Chaparral?

-soD

[gone-ot]

Originally Posted by some_other_dave

You mean Chaparral?

-soD

Oops, yes...correction made. Thanks.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by kach22i

Did you guys even look at the image I posted?

Do you not know of Luigi Colani's +300 mph Corvette?

Do you not know of Aptera - Alberto Morelli influenced designs?

Air under the car is bad most of the time, as most are not it's designed for it.

There are exceptions to every rule, and that is where the fun is.

The reason Hucho published that image was to demonstrate that this 'ideal' nose 'flowed' no better than the production 1974 VW Golf/Rabbit.
The caveat is that in crosswind,which is where we do most of our driving,the ideal nose would have the advantage,especially with plan view radius'ing.
From later research,it appears that there is a distinct advantage to cutting as much airflow off as possible to the underside.Even with a perfect belly pan.