The Lotus Grand Tourers

thought i would add this:

What's the timescale on this project, how much done/to do?

Simpatico wrote:What's the timescale on this project, how much done/to do?

give me about 2 years... should be done then!

so far just stripped the engine out of the car, and got a load of mates coming to help met get the body off the chassis in a few weeks...

Oz

I recognise the diffuser from KevW's work here: http://www.lotusexcel.net/phpbb/viewtop ... ser#p39578

And I would ask if the Canard has the correct rake ???? Hoping you do not want a "Lifting Canard" but you want a passive "Control Canard" Control Canards tend to have a very shallow rake.

I guess that all this is still very much conceptual and I certainly applaud the thinking. I'm not a mechanical engineer (Electronic) but I would add that it seems to me that anything that is going to generate force, whether positive or negative, will have to have a solid fixing and not just to the glass but I'm sure you already figured that

I wish you well and keep the dialog/effort/pictures coming.

M

muphy wrote:I recognise the diffuser from KevW's work here: http://www.lotusexcel.net/phpbb/viewtop ... ser#p39578

And I would ask if the Canard has the correct rake ???? Hoping you do not want a "Lifting Canard" but you want a passive "Control Canard" Control Canards tend to have a very shallow rake.

I guess that all this is still very much conceptual and I certainly applaud the thinking. I'm not a mechanical engineer (Electronic) but I would add that it seems to me that anything that is going to generate force, whether positive or negative, will have to have a solid fixing and not just to the glass but I'm sure you already figured that

I wish you well and keep the dialog/effort/pictures coming.

M

i think the biggest generator of "downforce" will be the plywood front splitter, flat floor, and getting the correct rake on the car... (circa 7-10 degrees ideally)
Will keep posting pics as i get on with the project. hopefully not too many purists will hate me for turning the car into a sprint/trackday special...
Oz.

Have you considered taking a standard Excel boot spoiler and mounting it on some higher, custom made legs ?

KevW wrote:Have you considered taking a standard Excel boot spoiler and mounting it on some higher, custom made legs ?

that might work, need it to do something usefull though, and for every extra 1cm that the rear spoiler is in uninterupted air flow (not behind the bubble of the passenger space: ie, sticking out the side of the car) it generates considerably more downforce...

maybe i could take the '89 type rear spoiler and cut it in the middle, widen it, and blend it back in to try to keep the shape, but increase the angle of attack slightly, and add higher legs (but not massively)

might be neater...

Good point about the effects of the downforce exerted on the spoiler.

To widen the standard spoiler maybe you could get a second identical Excel spoiler and splice in a section from it ? You could strengthen the widened spoiler by inserting some aluminium extrusion across its entire width before you 'glass the whole thing together. A double glazing firm might be a good source of cheap off-cuts. Just some random thoughts...

I'll be interested more in the aero after the power train installation is working properly and is reliable. With all that power and torque there's bound to be installation issues like engine, gear box, and diff cooling, etc. So I'd want to know the thing runs straight and cool for hours on end and in all ambient temperatures before worrying about down-force beyond 140 mph (which the std Excel is designed to cope with stability wise).

Hi All,
I think a single element rear wing with end plates shaped into body, reasonably deep chord 10 to 11 inches deep with removable Gurney tabs would be cool and practical to set up for different tracks.
Remember some of the mods they did to the BMW M1 for endurance racing "tastefully done".
Stumbled across this sketch of a Delorean. "of course it is way over the top and ugly", from the back it looks a bit like an Excel that someone went mad sticking extra bits on it.
Regards
Ken

Thanks for posting that modified DeLorean sketch Ken. Certain aspects of it are not without merit if you allow for the fact that it's rendered in a near cartoon style. It does look like a modified Excel.

It would be all too easy to stray into Hensen M30 territory http://www.classic-kitcars.com/21/21picgallery.htm

I remember a bloke from New Zealand did some very extensive and professional looking bodywork on his dark green Excel a while back.

Where did you get that DeLorean sketch from? I think its a concept for the twin turbo they had in development.
Jim

I recognise that roll cage!! Great project Ozzy - keep going - you only have to make all the brackets etc.. twice!

Pete

The picture was in a list of "famous designs did not make it", that was on the Australian Yahoo news site a couple of weeks ago.
Still think the M1 is nice.