bondo007 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 This vehicle is a concept for an elecrtic drive car. It is about the size of a Toyota Prius in full scale. The model is 1/5 scale. Low aerodynamic drag is the goal, especially at the rear of the car. You will lose some cargo volume, but you should lose a large potion of the low pressure area behind the vehicle while in motion, which is a real drag. Guesstimated Cd= 0.18 Got my new 2009 F-150 on July 17. Just broke the engine in yesterday. What a damn fine truck! Will have an Aerolid on it soon. www.aerolid.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Is that a joke about it being a Falcon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bondo007 Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Is that a joke about it being a Falcon? I just thought it would be cool to bring back the old Falcon namebrand to North America. When I was sculpting the car, the side intakes reminded me of wings, hence the choice of Falcon. I always wanted to design cars and, as you can see, I am not a professional at it. Automotive design is tricky business. There are several things I would like to change about the design of this car which would help on the aesthetic. Aesthetic aerodynamics is definitely a challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigner92 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 To me it looks like a cross between a PT cruiser an insight and the Toyota FT-HS concept. I like the vehicle itself, but i have to agree about the Falcon name. Those that remember the Falcon name will remember what it was and will be shocked when it comes back as this. I myself would be a little angry at Ford for using the Falcon nameplate for something like this. Maybe you could use the name ford was going to use a while back: Ford Prodigy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syrtran Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 This vehicle is a concept for an elecrtic drive car. It is about the size of a Toyota Prius in full scale. The model is 1/5 scale. Low aerodynamic drag is the goal, especially at the rear of the car. You will lose some cargo volume, but you should lose a large potion of the low pressure area behind the vehicle while in motion, which is a real drag. Guesstimated Cd= 0.18 Overall, it's pretty good. I see 3 things that 'concern' me: 1. The upper nose - where the blue oval is - is a little too 'pointy' in profile. It could be a little more rounded down to the bumper. 2. It doesn't look like there's enough clearance over the rear wheels for bouncing over road imperfections. 3. How many people in the back seat? With the side indentations for airflow, it looks like it could only fit 1. If you feel like you need to increase cargo space, look up Wunibald Kamm, or the term Kammback. There's a reason the Prius and Insight back ends look the way they do. Those that remember the Falcon name will remember what it was ... Yup: The predecessor to the Pinto, the Escort, and the Focus. Remember that most Americans have never heard of an FG or an XR6, or will remember the '70 - '71 Torino-based version. To them, the Falcon will always be a cheap little econobox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bondo007 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Your right srytran. The rear wheels and suspension need more jounce area. I took some measurements and there is enough h-point (hip) clearance for two persons to sit in the back seat. The car nose does need to be lowered and blended. Good calls. I just like to design cars for fun. However, always design them as if they could actually be built. The one in the photos below is definitely a two seater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I just thought it would be cool to bring back the old Falcon namebrand to North America. When I was sculpting the car, the side intakes reminded me of wings, hence the choice of Falcon. I always wanted to design cars and, as you can see, I am not a professional at it. Automotive design is tricky business. There are several things I would like to change about the design of this car which would help on the aesthetic. Aesthetic aerodynamics is definitely a challenge. I didn't realize you did that, and I hope I didn't come across as rude with my comment earlier, I just didn't feel that (at least in the current sense) it was a Falcon, although I understand why you chose that name after your explanation. Good work overall, just not to my taste... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bondo007 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Didn't consider it rude at all rmc523. It did make me think about how it could be construed as a joke. It was fun doing the scale model. Keep me occupied while there was no work. Work is coming back now, none too soon. Hope the economy turns around for everyone, especially all my friends I've worked with in the past from Michigan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Didn't consider it rude at all rmc523. It did make me think about how it could be construed as a joke. It was fun doing the scale model. Keep me occupied while there was no work. Work is coming back now, none too soon. Hope the economy turns around for everyone, especially all my friends I've worked with in the past from Michigan. Yeah, I've toyed with a clay scale model, but haven't finished it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLLMTR Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I think this concept is kinda neat. You may have a future in auto design. Any idea what kind of drag it could generate in a wind tunnel? What kind of power? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bondo007 Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 I think this concept is kinda neat. You may have a future in auto design. Any idea what kind of drag it could generate in a wind tunnel? What kind of power? Thanks for the kind words. I have been in auto design and related transportation industries as a clay modeler for about 25 years now. I would like to have more of a design involvement for aerodynamics has always facinated me. I can only guess at a drag coefficient (Cd) of about .18 for the model. I'm hoping the narrowing of the body at the rear along with the funneling of the airflow along the sides of the car will reduce the low pressure area which forms at the rear of the vehicle while in motion. It would be an electric front wheel drive. If you know someone who would like to do a CFD (computational fluid dynamic) simulation of the model that would be great! I would be glad to provide the model for scanning. Thanks, Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.