As I understand it, the silver trim strip between the front bumper and body was most likely added to hide bumper/body mismatch.
Was this the case from the beginning? Were early Elans delivered without the trim strip?
As I understand it, the silver trim strip between the front bumper and body was most likely added to hide bumper/body mismatch.
Was this the case from the beginning? Were early Elans delivered without the trim strip?
The 66 parts manual lists the trim strip as
BA14 5’ 11" in length
(S1, S2, Coupe) All models have it being used
Gary
the proper technical term for the insert --im told is ’ the little bumper thingy strip’ and is integeral to the entire performance of the car - -ed
Read the recent interview with Andy Green, of land speed record fame, in Motorsport. You will learn that placement of the insert or “thingy strip” could influence the local attainment of air speeds to Mach 1.0 with potentially dangerous introduction of shock waves asymmetrical to the yaw axis. I think we need moving floor wind tunnel data to resolve this issue. Who will pony up for this testing?
WELL Russ I’m in for one pound ha pence thruppney and a bit --I assume the air tunnel is up on the dual carriage way --ed
My '64 has The “thingie” (feminine) trim strip as stock equipment.
The fit between the bumper and body is actually what I’d call excellent without it, both surfaces smooth and tight.
I’ve always thought this piece was installed to enhance handling by providing a hint of downforce whilst minimalizing tail wag.
bompers ??? I don need no steekin bompers --I gots a little thingie --ed
Good to see the concern over the adverse effects of the “thingy strip”
However, now that we have removed the “thingy strip” from our cars, other aspects of our Elans rear their ugly head.
The head light pods have depressions to allow the headlights to raise that create dangerous vortexes and drag. Let’s fix that. Needed is pliant material that can be shaped to fit in the recesses of the headlight pods and body, and smoothed to fit the body contours. This minimizes turbulence over the headlight pods. If you are caught out at night time, duck behind an 18 wheeler for lighting and protection and turn on the tail lights to ward off tail gaters.
(As an aside, in my earlier days riding a motorcycle, twice I rode long distances without headlights. Once 100km from Orange County to the San Fernando Valley, and once from Phoeniz, AZ to LA. Use moonlight or other vehicles headlights.)
The next thing is the vortexes generated by the drip rails. You can just visualize the disruption in airflow caused by these simple strips of metal. What is really bad is the asymetrical vortexes generated in a cross wind, which leads to instability when driving in a cross wind. Remove the drip rail and realize a decrease in drag at any speed, as well as enhanced stability in windy conditions.
Next is the drag caused by the windshield trim. This promotes turbulent air flow. Remove the windshield and its trim. Glass in a supporting trim to support the windshield. Mount the windshield with adhesive, much like Costin did with the Elite he prepared for Le Mans. The car will be quieter (an Elan quiet?) due to the decrease in turbulent air flow.
At the rear, flush mounting compounds the problems. We need a recessed mounting for the rear window. The roof needs to have a negative concave approach to the window, which creates a negative vortex. This minimizes the turbulent airflow as the airflow transitions from the roof to the rear window, and decreases the lift Cd at the rear of the body.
All this is for FHC owners only. If you have a DHC, the best approach is to remove the windshield completely and install a rigid tonneau cover. This decreases aerodynamic resistance and turbulent airflow simultaneously. If you are cautious, make a transparent bubble canopy to carry with you. If it should rain, place the canopy over your head for protection. After all, motorcyclists don’t do this.
Of course, nobody uses the vortex and drag inducing windshield wiper blades. Take them off. The car looks better without them. If it should rain, use RainX to get a clear view through the windshield. Southern California Lotus owners do this without even thinking since the ozone eats up wiper blades before the next rain.
You know, it is hard to see how the Elan can achieve any reasonable speed with its aerodynamic inefficiencies, or is stable at any speed with its assymetrical vortexes.
I am sure that our technically savvy users can suggest many more changes to enhance our Elan’s aerodynamic performance and stability.
David
1968 36/7988
Hi David, it’s easy for me to understand how Elans achieve MORE than a “reasonable” speed. It’s power to weight ratio. Eric
and I thought it was the ‘bumper thingie’ that acted like a wickerbilly thingie ----oh well – --ed
Scott…these guys have clearly gone mad over the holiday time.
This picture is from the first Elan brochure for the ‘1500’, and was probably drawn before the first production car was made. The fill strip can be seen, so I guess it was part of the original grand plan.
Mark
didnt it have something to do with shapecraft engineering??? ed