Design for Safety

[ardee_selby]

I caught a snippet on TV about minimum clearances between bonnet
(hood) and engine on new car designs. I think it was to avoid
pedestrians making contact with the hard bits underneath.

The designer of the DB7 was talking of a bonnet that "deployed" so
that low frontal areas could be maintained.

I've been wondering about the implications of this on any new Loti
(or other small volume makers)... No more front engine RWD?,
Dummy "power bulges" on those that are? Horizontally opposed motors?
Front end air-bags?

Maybe crash helmet legislation for pedestrians, like bikers?

Anyone out there involved with this area of design?

Richard

[Martin_StuartUK]

Top Gear on BBC2, wasn't it?

Alternatively (and lets be a bit more positive about this - after all Aston Martin are not renowned for a lateral approach to design problems!), just make the engines lower - as you say, horizontally opposed powerplants (the induction airbox could be used as a deformable structure), or even good, old fashioned dry sumping to lower the height of conventional powerplants for small specialist manufacturer's like Lotus. This gives us a win - win situation; compliance with the safety legislation and better dynamics due to lower centre of gravity.

Realistically, I think we may have seen the last of front engined Lotus' for some time anyway - packaging considerations mean that most of the likely 'donor' cars for Lotus powertrains are front wheel drive (so more easily adapted to mid engined installations where RWD is required). It would be against Lotus' traditional values to use the big, heavy engines which are all that remains in mainstream RWD production, and I think they learnt their lesson with FWD with the M100 Elan!

Personally, it really winds me up that I could build an 18 wheeler articulated lorry with Boudicca-style scythes on the wheels and be exempted Single Vehicle Approval because it is a commercial vehicle, but woe betide me if the track rod ends on my 450kg Caterham 7 don't have radiused rubber covers on them! Not that the British government panders to the requirements of big business or anything...

Martin Stuart
----- Original Message -----
From: ardee_selby
To: ***@***.***
Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 10:27 AM
Subject: [LotusElan.net] Design for Safety


I caught a snippet on TV about minimum clearances between bonnet
(hood) and engine on new car designs. I think it was to avoid
pedestrians making contact with the hard bits underneath.

The designer of the DB7 was talking of a bonnet that "deployed" so
that low frontal areas could be maintained.

I've been wondering about the implications of this on any new Loti
(or other small volume makers)... No more front engine RWD?,
Dummy "power bulges" on those that are? Horizontally opposed motors?
Front end air-bags?

Maybe crash helmet legislation for pedestrians, like bikers?

Anyone out there involved with this area of design?

Richard

[ardee_selby]

--- In lotuselan@y..., "Martin Stuart" <m.a.stuart@b...> wrote:



Ron Hickmans new design (IIRC, front engine RWD)is getting nearer
though.


And what I've read about the "External Vehicle Control Project"
& "Intelligent Speed Adaption" they seem to be all about passenger
cars. I don't think any trucks were involved in the road trials.

Richard

[paul_adamson]

Now come on.
You can't expect to say "Ron Hickmans new design (IIRC, front engine RWD)is
getting nearer
though." without telling us more.
You know that we NEED to know!?

[tvacc]

I spoke very breifly to Ron about what he was working on back 7-8 years ago
when he attended LOG 14 in Conn. He was not very forth comong with
information (I fully understand) bue whatever I could gather...I got from
questions he was asking me...

Please tell us waht you know....I I just always thought the "idea" was dead.

Tony Vaccaro
http://www.lotusowners.com
http://www.drivingclothes.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Adamson [mailto:***@***.***
Sent: Friday, November 08, 2002 1:54 PM
To: ***@***.***
Subject: RE: [LotusElan.net] Design for Safety


Now come on.
You can't expect to say "Ron Hickmans new design (IIRC, front engine RWD)is
getting nearer
though." without telling us more.
You know that we NEED to know!?










.

[ardee_selby]

Whadya mean "come on". You'll be calling me a troll or smurf next;-)

It was covered in the Ron Hickman profile in Classic Car Weekly in
July. Didn't everyone read it?

It/He said:

"He's working on a small sports car combining practicality with
convenience and fun, and designed to appeal to older customers."

"It's a very user friendly car, but old fashioned with a long nose
and rear drive"

"I just happen to like a long nose in front of me. It gives the car
more of a sense of direction. It's a design which isn't time
sensitive, so won't go out of date. It will hopefully last 10 or 15
years. If there were a car like this available now I would buy it"

"A prototype will be ready mid 2003"

Richard.

--- In lotuselan@y..., "Paul Adamson" <paul@a...> wrote: