Marcus - I believe parachutes, aircraft spoilers, and many other high drag devices could benefit from borrowing this Lotus design.
I used Solidworks to do the original model then I removed all of the parts that were details for construction and gave my buddy a copy of all of the exterior parts to use for Cosmos. I've tried Cosmos before and failed miserably which is funny because I get SW. I guess I never grasped how to properly apply boundary conditions and create a mesh. Oh well maybe someday but I do not think it is one of those things you'll figure out completely after poking around for an afternoon or two.
Adding some sort of rear fairing in the shape you're describing definitely couldn't hurt. Jack's rear end of his Lalo is a testament to this.
Thanks Kart. I'm sure your windshield will do much better in terms of drag than the standard Locost version.
IA599 - I'll see what I can do. I'm guessing the wall won't be much worse.
Firebat - Definitely. Another thing that is interesting about the streamlines is how the air travels down the side of the car, hits the high pressure in front of the rear fender, and makes a 90 degree turn into the cockpit. It makes some sort of half door look hopeful for reducing buffeting.
Pe7e - Yeah you're probably getting a little lift since it looks like there is some pretty high velocity air at the top surface near where it transitions into the hood (I'm looking at vel_at_centerline.JPG - the big spot of red). The air beneath the nose doesn't seem to do the same.
What really makes me cringe is the "yellow" windshield. It isn't the highest pressure on the scale but it is a ginormous area (at least 1/3 if not approaching 1/2 of the car's front plan area). I think removing the windshield would do a nice job at reducing drag.
I really do not care what people do with stuff I post (as long as I don't find it on Ebay for sale under their name
) - if you want it as an avatar go for it. I won't be offended.
Justin - Apparently Lotus was ahead of the times when they designed this car. They figured out the aerodynamic properties of a 70s hair cut in the mid 50s! That Colin Chapman was good....