ldvknight
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hope this actually goes mainstream!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/07/120712-gordon-murray-energy-efficient-car-design/
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Fan Koni
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what...?!
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sadlerau
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Yep, I can see a lot of McLaren F1 [road car not the race car] influence in that :)
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superchg2
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I'd rather drive this new McLaren Spyder!
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JMU R1
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BBC actually just did a documentary on Gordon Murray, I think it's called "How to Go Fast and Influence People". I'm hoping I can find some way to watch it soon.
I'm really excited about the potential of Murray's new chassis technology. If it can truly be lighter and cheaper than stamped steel without giving away anything in stiffness it could spark a revolution in vehicles, especially sports cars. It would reduce the time to market significantly and would allow manufacturers to offer fun sports cars for cheap.
When I first read about this I thought it had Lotus written all over it but Honda could certainly benefit from this technology as well. If they move fast and take advantage it could very well improve Honda's fortunes in Europe.
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CarPhreakD
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JMU R1 wrote:
BBC actually just did a documentary on Gordon Murray, I think it's called "How to Go Fast and Influence People". I'm hoping I can find some way to watch it soon.
I'm really excited about the potential of Murray's new chassis technology. If it can truly be lighter and cheaper than stamped steel without giving away anything in stiffness it could spark a revolution in vehicles, especially sports cars. It would reduce the time to market significantly and would allow manufacturers to offer fun sports cars for cheap.
When I first read about this I thought it had Lotus written all over it but Honda could certainly benefit from this technology as well. If they move fast and take advantage it could very well improve Honda's fortunes in Europe.
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New chassis technology? You're not referring to the city car are you? Because tube frames and fiberglass are one of the OLDEST methods of building cars along with body on frame (and used extensively in older race cars). Most cars have moved onto monocoque construction.
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JMU R1
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CarPhreakD wrote:
JMU R1 wrote:
BBC actually just did a documentary on Gordon Murray, I think it's called "How to Go Fast and Influence People". I'm hoping I can find some way to watch it soon.
I'm really excited about the potential of Murray's new chassis technology. If it can truly be lighter and cheaper than stamped steel without giving away anything in stiffness it could spark a revolution in vehicles, especially sports cars. It would reduce the time to market significantly and would allow manufacturers to offer fun sports cars for cheap.
When I first read about this I thought it had Lotus written all over it but Honda could certainly benefit from this technology as well. If they move fast and take advantage it could very well improve Honda's fortunes in Europe.
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New chassis technology? You're not referring to the city car are you? Because tube frames and fiberglass are one of the OLDEST methods of building cars along with body on frame (and used extensively in older race cars). Most cars have moved onto monocoque construction.
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What he's doing is not simply making tube-framed cars with fiberglass body panels. He is actually bonding the polymer composites(I dont think they're using fiberglass) to the steel tubes to make a sort of hybrid tube/monocoque body. Very different than what you would see on a tube-framed racecar.
Only thing I wonder about is how such a car would dissipate energy in a crash. I'd like to think Murray thought of that. Hopefully I can glean more from the documentary tonight.
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Jovian8
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Fan Koni wrote:
what...?!
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You showed the worst pic possible!
This one is more flattering ---the cool matte black.
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Fan Koni
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Ok now I see it - a lot evolution in that design...
But there are less flattering pics.
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Midi_Amp
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Jovian8 wrote:
Fan Koni wrote:
what...?!
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You showed the worst pic possible!
This one is more flattering ---the cool matte black.
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Everything is better in matte black
Well... Okay, maybe not everything...
I'm more worried in T-bone crash than frontal crash on this car, and is there A/C in this car? Looks too jammed packed for extra amenities.
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CarPhreakD
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JMU R1 wrote:
CarPhreakD wrote:
JMU R1 wrote:
BBC actually just did a documentary on Gordon Murray, I think it's called "How to Go Fast and Influence People". I'm hoping I can find some way to watch it soon.
I'm really excited about the potential of Murray's new chassis technology. If it can truly be lighter and cheaper than stamped steel without giving away anything in stiffness it could spark a revolution in vehicles, especially sports cars. It would reduce the time to market significantly and would allow manufacturers to offer fun sports cars for cheap.
When I first read about this I thought it had Lotus written all over it but Honda could certainly benefit from this technology as well. If they move fast and take advantage it could very well improve Honda's fortunes in Europe.
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New chassis technology? You're not referring to the city car are you? Because tube frames and fiberglass are one of the OLDEST methods of building cars along with body on frame (and used extensively in older race cars). Most cars have moved onto monocoque construction.
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What he's doing is not simply making tube-framed cars with fiberglass body panels. He is actually bonding the polymer composites(I dont think they're using fiberglass) to the steel tubes to make a sort of hybrid tube/monocoque body. Very different than what you would see on a tube-framed racecar.
Only thing I wonder about is how such a car would dissipate energy in a crash. I'd like to think Murray thought of that. Hopefully I can glean more from the documentary tonight.
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I hate to tell you this but this is something that has been done for ages. Ask Colin Chapman when he was still alive.
Also:
" Murray has eschewed carbon for composites made from glass-reinforced resins that are faster and cheaper to make" Which means?
And finally, the structure alone won't fair well in an accident as it's the integral safety cage. It would still need an external member or impact absorbing material all around for most of the collision energy absorption.
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Atomic Frog
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I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He says he's designed it so that in a crash, the body has been designed to damage in a way which is cheap and easy to repair. Also claims F1 technology & methods are used to make a strong safety cell for both side and end impacts.
I would say this car would not work in America. Too many long highways and other large vehicles to contend with and you do not exactly have a choice of not travelling on the highways.
However, in other parts of the world, it could be a winner. It does need to solve the one big fault of the Smart car, which is really pricing. The Smart was a nice idea, but with mediocre performance, mileage & storage space at a cost of around a Honda Fit, it was hard to justify the Smart, unless you wanted a strange looking little 2 seater.
If either the T.25 or the T.27 are sold at a competitive price, I'd be willing to buy.
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CarPhreakD
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"He says he's designed it so that in a crash, the body has been designed to damage in a way which is cheap and easy to repair. Also claims F1 technology & methods are used to make a strong safety cell for both side and end impacts."
Yeah, if you've done Formula SAE or seen open-wheeled racers, the way they do it is a monocoque structure with replaceable/serviceable hangoffs, like honeycomb-cell aluminum or high density foam. In supercars it becomes extruded aluminum beams in the front and rear that crumple but are replaceable (unless you're unlucky enough to have a pure carbon fiber car... some of them can be totalled with just the smallest bit of damage).That way you have the main safety structure as a last-resort for severe crashes (in this case, the tube-frame), and then you have the impact absorbing structures front and rear.
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