If you're planning a Le Mans trip next year, watch out for a 'low-flying aircraft' mixing it up with the old-school racers.
The radical DeltaWing created by former Lola designer Ben Bowlby was originally mooted as an innovative new Indy racing chassis, but now the Automotive Club de L'Ouest has confirmed a slot has been offered for the car to run at Le Mans next year where it will run in its own class.
"In 2010 the ACO Sporting Committee decided to create the garage #56 to promote new technologies," says ACO sports director Vincent Beaumesnil. "When the ACO Management met the representative of the DeltaWing project everybody thought immediately that it would be a high quality project for Le Mans Experimental entry in 2012.
"The interest of this project is based on the optimisation of all factors that have an impact of global energy consumption and efficiency of the car : weight, power, drag.
"The ACO want to give the opportunity to evaluate each technology, and this project shows that ahead of hybrid, bio fuel or electric technology - we can explore other ways to improve efficiency."
Total weight: 475Kg Horsepower: 300 BHP Wheel base: 2.90m Aerodynamic drag: Cd 0.24 Front track: 0.6m Rear track: 1.7m O/A length 4.65m O/A width 2.00m Height 1.03m Brakes: Carbon discs and pads Fuel cell capacity 40 litres Chassis construction: lightweight composite Front tire: 4.0/23.0 R15 Rear tire: 12.5/24.5 R15 Weight distribution: 27.5% Front (72.5% Rear)
Key Technical Features
* Engine and transmission are "non-stressed members" of the chassis structural design which allows teams to install a wide variety of lightweight powertrains * The car features a liquid cooled 4 cylinder 1600cc intercooled turbocharged engine that will produce approximately 300 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and weigh 70kg * Transmission is a 5 speed plus reverse longitudinal design with an electrical sequential paddle shift actuation. The differential features an efficient variable torque steer/differential speed-controlled planetary final drive reduction layout with the entire transmission weighing only 33kg * Vehicle weight distribution is necessarily more rearward than traditionally seen with 72.5% of the mass on the larger rear tires * 76% of the aerodynamic downforce acts on the rear of the car which has an lift to drag ratio of >5.0 * Rear wheel drive coupled with the rearward weight and aerodynamic distributions greatly enhances inline acceleration capability * Unique amongst today's racing cars more than 50% of the vehicles braking force is generated behind the center of gravity giving a dynamically stable response * Locking propensity of the un-laden front wheel at corner entry is greatly reduced due to virtually no front lateral load transfer with the narrow track & wide rear track layout, steered wheel "scrub drag" moment is virtually zero greatly increasing tire utilization and reducing mid turn understeer * Advanced computer modeling of structures, impact energy management, aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and tires has been used to develop the DeltaWing design * Driver position, restraint layout and energy absorbing structures designed to meet the latest occupant survival criteria
Wow, that looks absolutely fascinating. Although I'm confident the guys behind this know exactly what they are doing and I'm certainly no aerodynamicist, I would have thought in current form understeer would be a bit of a problem?
Looks like it would understeer off in high speed corners? Narrow front section tyres with little weight over them compared to huge rears with a wider rear track and most of the down force and weight?
* Unique amongst today's racing cars more than 50% of the vehicles braking force is generated behind the center of gravity giving a dynamically stable response
* Locking propensity of the un-laden front wheel at corner entry is greatly reduced due to virtually no front lateral load transfer with the narrow track & wide rear track layout, steered wheel "scrub drag" moment is virtually zero greatly increasing tire utilization and reducing mid turn understeer
understeer was on my mind too. I think they're saying effectively due to large rearward weight bias and suitably narrow track and tyre width of the front wheels it's not a problem
Like everyone else, I thought understeer, but also, three-corner-tople. Won't it want to roll towards the front corners like a trike does?
Also, why the need for a vertical stabilizer? The only time you'll be getting lateral rotational air movement is in a corner, and surely the last thing you'll want is a massive fin trying to keep you straight?
I'm no aerodynamics expert, but I have played one on TV.
* Locking propensity of the un-laden front wheel at corner entry is greatly reduced due to virtually no front lateral load transfer with the narrow track & wide rear track layout, steered wheel "scrub drag" moment is virtually zero greatly increasing tire utilization and reducing mid turn understeer
understeer was on my mind too. I think they're saying effectively due to large rearward weight bias and suitably narrow track and tyre width of the front wheels it's not a problem
While that is all very clever, they could have solved it by making the front track wider.
What advantages does this car have, apart from making a really cool hot wheels toy?
Is this thing a reality looking like that or simply a CAD / Model at this stage? Maybe in 12 months time with a bit more testing under its belt we might see more Aueo on the front or a wider car, it looks like its going to be a weapon in a straight line.
Instinct tells me that it will be very unstable in cross-winds and high speed corners. I'm willing to bet that the project gets pulled when it gets to the wind tunnel.
Like everyone else, I thought understeer, but also, three-corner-tople. Won't it want to roll towards the front corners like a trike does?
Also, why the need for a vertical stabilizer? The only time you'll be getting lateral rotational air movement is in a corner, and surely the last thing you'll want is a massive fin trying to keep you straight?
I'm no aerodynamics expert, but I have played one on TV.
I wonder if would assist high speed turning if they made the vertical fin steerable?
