FWD sports cars on bespoke platforms

[NDNDNDND]

As a parallel to the Elan M100 thread, I was just pondering how many sports car there are that were built on a bespoke front wheel drive platform.

The only front wheel drive 'sports cars' I can think of are on hatchback-derived platforms, such as the Integra or, umm... the Fiat Barchetta, which is apparently a Punto underneath.

Apart from the M100, I can't really think of any.

The Saab Sonett perhaps?

Are there any more? I imagine there might be a few curios in the 60's and 70's...

[Truckosaurus]

The M100 might have been on its own platform but it must win the prize for the car with parts from the most other vehicles. A right old raiding of GMs parts bins across Europe, USA and Asia.

[finlo]

Various models of Cord.

[samoht]

I think it slightly depends what you count as a "Sports Car" (much as I hate to resurrect that old chestnut).

Does the Citroen SM count? Oldsmobile Toronado?

There was an FF Alvis sports / racer https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/explore/heritage-...

[Tankrizzo]

Alfa GTV?

[anonymous-user]

Tankrizzo said:

Alfa GTV?

Shared platform surely?

[Tankrizzo]

biggbn said:

Shared platform surely?

Shared with the Spider of course, but you could argue those are very similar sports cars. Now you say it IIRC they were based on another platform (but very modified), so it probably does rule it out.

[trashbat]

Alfa GTV was shared with Fiat Coupe and they're both supposedly the Tipo platform. I think this gets into the dubious nature of what a platform really means, but there are clear examples of bespoke platform, like the 4C. I suspect the OP is right and there aren't many FWD examples.

[Equus]

Daihatsu Copen? Lancia Fulvia? Bit niche, but the Minari Roadsport. Berkeley?

[Baldchap]

Equus said:

Daihatsu Copen? Lancia Fulvia? Bit niche, but the Minari Roadsport. Berkeley?

The Copen was based on Daihatsu's light car platform.

[Abdul Abulbul Amir]

trashbat said:

Alfa GTV was shared with Fiat Coupe and they're both supposedly the Tipo platform. I think this gets into the dubious nature of what a platform really means, but there are clear examples of bespoke platform, like the 4C. I suspect the OP is right and there aren't many FWD examples.

Same at the 156 and 146 platforms?

[kambites]

trashbat said:

I suspect the OP is right and there aren't many FWD examples.

For obvious reasons - why would anyone do it? I've read lots about the M100 and I still don't have a clue why Lotus did it, I'm not sure they know why they did it to be honest.

[mintmansam]

Toyota celica?

[samoht]

kambites said:

For obvious reasons - why would anyone do it? I've read lots about the M100 and I still don't have a clue why Lotus did it, I'm not sure they know why they did it to be honest.

I don't think it was as obviously strange an idea at the time as it seems in hindsight.

First, it's not just that there were no FF roadsters in the 1980s - there basically weren't any small open sports cars of any drivetrain, except those left over from the sixties. So if you were going to create a new one, it was an open question whether it should be traditional FR, MR like the X1-9 and MR2, or FF. In fact Mazda seriously explored all three directions for the MX-5.

Given what seemed at the time like an open question, I understand that Lotus felt they could hit their 'targets' with FF, and it would be more relevant to the majority of the engineering work they did for other manufacturers to engineer a really good FF layout, showing that they could put down relatively high torque without torque steer.

[trashbat]

Abdul Abulbul Amir said:

Same at the 156 and 146 platforms?

Yes and everything until the 159, in theory.

[NDNDNDND]

Equus said:

Daihatsu Copen? Lancia Fulvia? Bit niche, but the Minari Roadsport. Berkeley?

The Minari and Berkeley are interesting cars!

I did think of the Fulvia, but I wasn't sure how much would be shared with the saloons - I guess it's possible there's not much carryover.

mintmansam said:

Toyota celica?

A Toyota Carina underneath, apparently!

I guess the reality is most manufacturers are going to have a front wheel drive platform to build from, so any front wheel drive sports car is going to be based on that. It'll only be small manufacturers with nothing else to build off who are going to try to make a bespoke front wheel drive platform, hence why I guess it's Lotus and a kit car manufacturer.

There does seem to be quite an interesting history of front wheel drive racing cars though

Unfortunately, the picture links in this article are broken, but it's still interesting:
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/sports...

It starts off with that crazy Nissan front wheel drive Le Mans car from a couple of years ago. I also had no idea that front wheel drive cars had so many successes at the Indy 500 - although I guess the traction issues with front wheel drive under acceleration is somewhat mitigated when you're bombing around at a fairly constant lick.

I also remember seeing a front wheel drive GP-style car racing at HSCC at Brands Hatch a few years ago - was quite puzzling looking at the exposed mechanicals and not believing what I was seeing! I'm sure I had a photo of it, but I can't find it now.

[Equus]

NDNDNDND said:

I also remember seeing a front wheel drive GP-style car racing at HSCC at Brands Hatch a few years ago - was quite puzzling looking at the exposed mechanicals and not believing what I was seeing! I'm sure I had a photo of it, but I can't find it now.

That will probably have been the Bond Formula Junior: there were several attempts at FWD Formula Juniors (all failures), but the Bond is the only one I can recall being active in historic racing in recent years.

In a similar vein, there is also this rather nicely done roadgoing special, based on Renault components:

[F1GTRUeno]

Hyundai Coupe?

[Baldchap]

F1GTRUeno said:

Hyundai Coupe?

It'll have been the Lantra platform, I bet.

[anarki]

Fiat barchetta?