LocostUSA.com

Hey Jack,

One thought I left out from this morning conversation... Many years too many ago , I was talking with a group of engineering students racing a Formula Vee. They had determined that their rear fastback was too steep to maintain flow, would separate. Their solution was to stair step the trouble spot so that the turbulence would curl downward off of each step and "suck" the laminar flow downward quicker than it could do on its own.

Mikey Bynum

I missed the point of the aero mods so I will assume it is for efficiency and not downforce. Donks are a pretty good combination of aero and aesthetics once you remove the big downforce producers:



I rented an excavator that has the Yanmar 1.5L, 29.5hp 3 cylinder diesel, no turbo. I'm inpressed with how quiet it is. Generally, I think the Yanmars are cheaper and more common than the Kubotas. I've racked up 12 hours on the hobbs so far; very thrifty.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

Looking good Jack
A couple of ideas that are more than likely rubbish but here goes.
Headlights similar to the Porsche 928 same shape when out but fold flattish back when down./ Just put them in sideways on the bonnet or nosecone.
On the back I have noticed more and more cars minivan type vehicles (latest one I have seen is the mazda 3 hatchback) where just as the hatch would come donw with its around 70 degree or so back they bring a half spoiler off the top which I allways thought was just to keep the rear windows clean but it must start the air seperation from the back window. With todays trying to get bet better millage I assume it must help.
Dale

Dale, what your describing on the minivans is that small thin piece in red over the back window in my pic. The air accelerates through the choke point/venturi which is curved. The top is flat and provides no downforce/drag.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

Here is a new twist on an old theme I started to designd a few years ago.

And here are some great designs from designer in the Netherlands, Michiel Van Den Brink.

Those are all neat concepts.

Did he actually design the Donky coupe. That sketch looks a lot like the real car. I wonder if the KTM one was competing against the X Bow design?

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Deman Sr7 build turning laps once in a while

To heck with practical, so what if this body makes it a normal size car--besides, if I were driven by practicality I wouldn't be making Locosts to begn with.

Here's a side view of a Bristol 450, scaled to fit a side view of a Lotus Seven...they superimpose rather nicely, in my opinion. For a Bristol-inspired body, the windshield would have to go forward a bit and I'm still favoring the split windshield concept, but smoothed out some, this basic body shape could cut the parasite drag of a Locost in half.

_________________
Locost builder and adventurer, and founder (but no longer owner) of Kinetic Vehicles

A problem with moving the bottom of the windwhield farther forward in my case is that you run over top of the bonnet.
Being split may allow a center portion of the scuttle to be extened over the bonnet area requiring the bonnet to be slid under the windshield mount or be cut around it.
Every change seems to increase farther down the line in bigger changes.
Dale

Sorry, I meant moving the windsheild forward from where it is on the Bristol, I'll be moving it backward from the Locost position. I merely need to make a fixture that cuts my front roll bar tubes so it leans back 15 degrees...sounds easy, doesn't it?...which brings the pointy center of the windshield back 2" from the bonnet.

My team of local reviewers didn't like the windshield stuck out so far forward, as it is on the photos on the previous pages, and neither did I. It made the cabin look like a sport limo with an invisible chauffeur. I'll edit a pic into this message asap.

_________________
Locost builder and adventurer, and founder (but no longer owner) of Kinetic Vehicles

How about this?
I even ignored my urge to add fender skirts.

Filled front fenders, raised cowl, and composite hood, with tapering rear fenders ahead of and below the doors. The doors could be composite, flaring out to meet the edge of the fender lip below the glass but it would look odd.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

Sorry, I did not mean the entire windshield. with mine I have the skuttle back as far as I can get it and still keep the sides of the steering wheel from being covered.
Its just that the skuttle is narrow and for a heavily raked windshield it also requies more room on the scuttle area.
Dale

I am not about to wade through 20 some odd pages to see if this is a repost but I offer it up anyways. I found this on a New Zealand Lotus Forum and I thought it was sleek design with it being swappable.
http://www.lotus7.co.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15

The nose is an improvment but it could also be improved upon. The portion over the wheel is not parallel to the airflow and it could be. The portion in front of the wheel puckers in and does not completely cover the front of the tire.

Instead of a tiny windscreen the driver can't see though anyway, a fairing could be rivetted to the hood to bring the cowl up to the drivers line of sight, then add a tiny windscreen.

_________________
Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12