Posted on 06/21/2018 2:18:38 PM PDT by Rummyfan
It’s not incredible that so many cars look so similar. It’s incredible that cars look different at all.
Maybe you’ve seen it: three lanes of midsize crossovers that could trade badges and nobody would notice. Those shapes are dictated by interior space, powertrain packaging, federal regulations, and production feasibility. But most of all, they’re designed for aerodynamic efficiency. When we started asking manufacturers around the country how that works, we realized that it’s not incredible that so many cars look so similar. It’s incredible that cars look different at all.
There is a basic tension between aerodynamic engineers and car designers. Each side will say that their missions are in harmony, that good design should not preclude good aerodynamics, and that aerodynamics should not limit design. But that’s not really true. The wind doesn’t care whether your grille is distinctive, or even whether you have one at all. The wind wants your car to look like a raindrop, and anything else is a compromise. Yes, every percentage of miles per gallon or range per charge matters, but visual distinction sells cars.
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Well, that’s ONE WAY to pass on a straightaway....................
Back when cars had 'style'......................
I want one of these, 40+ miles per gallon and no pollution..................it's possible............
Aren’t cars rounded enough now? I can hardly wait until they are all the shape of something pooped out of a giant monster and they have almost no visibility out the rear window.
The wind wants your car to look like a raindrop, and anything else is a compromise.
So no, they're not rounded enough.
Ugh!
So, do they have a plot of Cd’s over time?
Frontal areas?
Data on how pickup trucks are doing?
Mother, brother and I lived in a small upstairs apartment—2 rooms and a bathroom in 1954-55 from a very nice landlord in a small Missouri town. We became good friends with the landlord and family. Years later, I think 1958 or 59 we went back to visit, and Buck had a brand new Edsel in the garage. I was very impressed at the time.
At least, that's how I remember them. I was only 10.
It was a beautiful car with a terrible name. ..................
Introducing the 1921 Rumpler Tropfenwagen. The first production aerodynamically designed automobile, before the Chrysler Airflow and the Tatra 77.
Actually, I read the rest of the article ... they’re talking about dynamically changing the shape of the car’s air dam, and similar things, to improve aerodynamics without turning the car into a raindrop.
If they built a car that looked like that with modern mechanicals and electronics...
Mercedes really screwed the pooch on that one.
The Mulssane Straight is no more, due to Mercedes poor aerodynamics.
It USED to be three miles of high speed driving, now it’s three one mile straight sections with curves separating them.
Way to come back to racing after their 1955 Le Mans disaster...
What with massive C pillars, headrests that block your view, sloping roofs, tiny rear windows and zero visability - it's no wonder you need back up cameras, 360 degree cameras, cross traffic sensors, lane change warnings and more.
Ah well. Autonomous driving will soon be here. We can set in our cocoon car and maybe watch a video.
They couldn’t make them fast enough.................
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