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Old 08-19-2010, 12:12 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Check out this amazing "boat-tailed" car

The Dirigo project started as an Automotive X Prize car and is completing its first Rally Green as I write this. It is a small diesel reverse trike based on a Kawasaki Mule with a custom bodywork. I has a "boat-tail" made of wooden strips. From the back it looks just like an overturned wooden canoe.

The team has been on a cross country rally with minimal publicity and minimal fan support. They will end the rally in San Francisco tomorrow, Aug 20. I am sure they would appreciate seeing you if you are in the Bay Area.

Dirigo Car | The Dirigo Project In the late spring of 2007 a... | Had, Were, Car, Transmission, Front

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The power needed to push an object through a fluid increases as the cube of the velocity. Mechanical friction increases as the square, so increasing speed requires progressively more power.
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Old 08-19-2010, 04:29 PM   #2 (permalink)
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Thanks for posting that great car! Looking at the wooden boat tail made me wonder if you could take a canoe, cut it in half and then join the two halfs to make a boat tail?
Just wondering, any ideas? has this been done yet?
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Old 08-19-2010, 05:10 PM   #3 (permalink)
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What a strange and oddly "planned" out lump that is...
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Old 08-19-2010, 09:28 PM   #4 (permalink)
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Their latest blog entry shows them getting "only" 80 mpg. However, they report Dirigo is was a real corner carver coming down Independence Pass in Colorado. These Mainiacs are definitely thinking outside the box.
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The power needed to push an object through a fluid increases as the cube of the velocity. Mechanical friction increases as the square, so increasing speed requires progressively more power.
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Old 08-19-2010, 11:30 PM   #5 (permalink)
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The rear of the trike looks decent but the nose could use some more work. Don't cut the canoe in half but use it for roof storage on a camping or biking trip. The shape and weight are what count. If you like the look get the wood grain decals.
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Old 08-20-2010, 11:02 AM   #6 (permalink)
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love the design, just think the open front wheel wells are a little draggy... looks like what a lot of older sports cars had, and they all had not so nice Cd's despite looking pretty sleek

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