car design thread

Love the honda design. I believe at one point they resurrected a vintage f1 styled concept, too.

I personally believe if there were to be kit in this vein that it would find success, however, it genuinely would need to look and feel as though it were a factory produced unit once finished as opposed to so much of what has been done in the past. Plus, it would make a super cool father / son project.

A carbon tub would be interesting!

 

I have looked at some of the Palatov stuff but it has been a while. Issue (then) was lack of very good build quality. Was actually not interested in taking vehicle for a test drive as I did not feel car was safe. (And I would have a little knowledge in that area.)

 

I would like to see an Ariel Atom (or similar car) kit that gave it a solid roof. Maybe it would be a secure and substantial roof that would be able to hinge or slide like a fighter jet canopy?

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Doors that work and roofs that "move" are about the single most expensive bit to do on a car. Why I have opted for a step over design. Adding doors, windows, and a roof would just about double the BOM cost of my car.

But you get what you pay for......

 

Some of it is also the size of the car compared with the tall tires of the day. The wheelbase on the XP-833 was 90"


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Love it.

 

For the driver who sees him/herself like this.....
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NG

 

These front end designs are beginning to resemble an ink blot test: looks like a giant mustache to me.

Source: https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/moustache

 

Stick a sombrero on the roof and it's a Mexican bandito.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Another interesting article on air scoops- the NACA Duct. Good example of "form follows function."

Originally developed for airplanes but turns out to work better on cars. Examples: Ferrari F40, Countach LP400S, Alfa Montreal.

NACA ducts are useful when air needs to be drawn into an area which isn’t exposed to the direct air flow the scoop has access to. Quite often you will see NACA ducts along the sides of a car or engine bonnet. The NACA duct takes advantage of the boundary layer, a layer of slow moving air that “clings” to the bodywork of the car, especially where the bodywork flattens, or does not accelerate or decelerate the air flow. Areas like the roof and side body panels are good examples.​

http://**********.com/2018/02/naca-duct-air-scoop.html​

 

Car designers can be heroes, too!

Fiat Chrysler head of design uses his Jeep Wrangler to push car with persons trapped inside away from another burning car. Kudos to Ralph Gilles.

http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2018/02/26/heroic-fiat-chrysler-executive-ralph-gilles-rammed-his-jeep-into-burning-car-to-save-lives.html

 

Kudos to Mr. Gilles from a fellow Montrealer!

Too bad about the fatality, especially because due to DUI.

 

OMG, these guys are clueless.
Who do they hire to do these designs--teenagers right off the street? No way a designer with minimal training would do something like that!

 

Had this exact discussion with my wife after seeing a '90s Acura Integra and commenting on the ratio of belt height to overall height. Acura looked so much slimmer and lighter than newer cars. She suggested newer cars were bulkier for safety reason and I countered that was not necessarily the case and explained what is evidenced by your pics.

 

I think I said this earlier, but I think it's more a consequence of pedestrian impact laws and the hood having to be so high off the hard points of the engine, etc. Without the 80s and 90s drop-down, you get a high belt line.

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Z1

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The BMW Z1 would never work now...

Remember the first series Range Rover? The sill height was about at lap height, really bothered some folks.