(fun) If you owned a car company...

[DanceswithUnix]

Engine technlogy has moved on and instead of having a larger V8 in the Lotus V8 ,an updated smaller engine should do the trick,together with updated braking and ESP systems(look at the Honda S660,it handles very well partly due to this). Maybe,also an updated interior too. Plus also ditching the circular rear lamps of the later models.

Having said that,they won't be able to use the pop-up lamps of the original,so that would be an issue. Maybe some sort of smart glass or smart film could be used to hide the light??

I think the Evora shows that a V6 is plenty. Still more than 4 cylinders to give that big engine grunt, more compact. The V8 was de-tuned to avoid breaking the Renault transmission that the Esprit used (or at least as much, ISTR my friend broke it on his!).

I keep hearing people say that you can't approve pop-up headlamps any more, but see little actual evidence. Here is a car which just went through individual approval. I don't know of any differences between what lighting can get individual approval vs what a company can get through class approval. http://www.listerbell.com/news/169-c...prototipo-nose

I grant you that popups are harder to approve these days, but this is with you in charge right?

[jimbouk]

I keep hearing people say that you can't approve pop-up headlamps any more, but see little actual evidence. Here is a car which just went through individual approval. I don't know of any differences between what lighting can get individual approval vs what a company can get through class approval. http://www.listerbell.com/news/169-c...prototipo-nose

I grant you that popups are harder to approve these days, but this is with you in charge right?

Ooooh, nice link. Alternative to pure pop-up lights would be like the Opel GT lights that rotated or something like the Porsche 928. Both slightly rounded but still some sharp edges...

[Dashers]

I think the Evora shows that a V6 is plenty. Still more than 4 cylinders to give that big engine grunt, more compact.

I think Audi showed that an inline turbo 5 is plenty! 400bhp from the latest 2.5l TT and it weighs a lot less than a V6. And boy, do they sound epic.

And yes, Ford have the insane 350hp out of a 4-pot on the Focus RS, but it suffers horribly from torque steer. You slap a big enough turbo on strong enough internals then the limit is your imagination.

[DanceswithUnix]

I think Audi showed that an inline turbo 5 is plenty! 400bhp from the latest 2.5l TT and it weighs a lot less than a V6. And boy, do they sound epic.

5 cylinders is on the edge. The problem isn't power, it is the 4 stroke cycle. A piston is generating power for only part of one stroke of the 4 so even with 4 cylinders there are parts of the cycle where no power is generated and you are relying on the flywheel to keep the engine spinning. Once you get to 6 cylinders you always have power being generated, with a huge difference to usable low down torque. Going from a V6 petrol to a 4 pot diesel I still miss that V6 torque for ease of driving.

OFC, electric motors are a different game entirely, which is one reason I believe hybrids will become standard unless electric replaces fossil fuel engines entirely.

[Dashers]

Isn't that the case with all all engines though? There is always a swing of torque as each piston fires, it's just more pronounced and a longer interval on lower cylinder counts.

I absolutely love electric, they're stupidly easy to drive, and aside from the range issue, they are very convenient. Just plug them in to the wall when you get home. Battery & charging technology, and critically the charging network, will improve significantly making recharges on longer trips more feasible.

I suspect the major block to adoption of electric cars is the unfortunate case of most people living in cities with terrible parking and nowhere to plug in. Which is a real shame as they make for ideal cars, compact, low maintenance, high levels of torque; all fantastic for whizzing about town.

If you have a drive or a garage and do less than 100 miles a day (currently) then they really are a no-brainer. Unfortunately, so many people don't have off-street parking. I guess if every street had a row of charging posts it would change, but that is a mahoosive investment by councils.

[virtuo]

My company would be the last stronghold for big scary ultra-low MPG fossil-fuelled supercars. I'd buy up great stockpiles of petrol so my customers can fill up when all around are hydrogen pumps and quick-charge points.

You'd hear them coming from 2 miles away and the smell of those burning dinosaurs rumbling past will make you dream of the day when your car sounded amazing and could be fixed by yourself, with actual tools and readily available spare parts and not batteries, motors and a copy of the 17th Edition.

[MrComputerSaint]

I'd make a single chassis for 3 to 4 variants

.....

BUT the dealers would have a 1 year warranty to put on Approved Used Cars when they buy them in and approve them

A LOT of thought you put in there. Very specific details. I like it.
I like a lot of the posts and I don't see why 1,2,3,5,6 or more wheeled options can be visioned.

[MrComputerSaint]

The Thorium powered vehicles idea from Ttaskmaster could make something like this

Mercedes 540K (1938)
Now that would be a beast!


Oh, I'd also make a convertible saloon / estate car. With the A, B, C and D pillars and it'd be the main roof that'd be retractable. A little like the C3 Pluriel but not with the removable pillars.

[DanceswithUnix]

Isn't that the case with all all engines though? There is always a swing of torque as each piston fires, it's just more pronounced and a longer interval on lower cylinder counts.

Not really, there is a difference between varying torque through the engine cycle and a total lack of torque at a point where no cylinder in the engine is generating power and you only have losses to overcome. That gives a step change in driveability, you can pull away from stationary in second or third without any effort, heck you can pull away in third with the engine idling at 800rpm without touching the throttle. As a downside, you can get very lazy in driving style as you know the car can take it.

However, electric gets you the same (actually should be better) ease of driving without the fuel cost.

Hopefully these graphs will embed (from http://www.epi-eng.com/piston_engine...on_engines.htm)

Big spikes below zero:


Insignificant spikes below zero:


But clearly for this discussion people sticking with IC engines will want as many cylinders as possible...

[Kerrang]

...What car would you make?

Let us know where you're from and what you'd make, City car? Sports car? 8 wheeled behemoth ? Electric / Hybrid / other?

Just a little fun


I'm from the UK and I'd make a Hybrid convertible to try and compete with the likes of the MX5. It'd have a small (~700cc) turbo charged engine with electric motors and might be electric power to the front, and the car might be mid engined sending the power from the engine to the rear wheels. Making it AWD.

I'd make an electric sports car that was styled like a vintage petrol car - an E-type jag or something like that.

[MrComputerSaint]

I do like the electric car ideas. I especially like the idea of an interchangeable battery. I think this is the way electric cars will take off.
For example, my battery I pay £10 (for argument sake) a month. I have a 150 mile range on the battery, I can charge it up at home or I can drive into a energy station and they can change the battery for a fully charged one. It'd be a quick few minute change. There would be a small fee to pay to use this service. It would also be automated and insert the battery from under the car. So you wouldn't even need to get out.

The electricity to charge the batteries at the energy station would be provided by solar and wind power that was adjacent to the road. Maybe a mile of solar panels before and after the station (along the road side) or a adjacent field with a small solar / wind farm. Back-up power provided by maybe a fuel cell power plant.

Yes the solar panels would be protected by a strong bit of concrete from crashes that might occur. Or maybe use solar road ways on the hard shoulder.
http://www.solarroadways.com/

[directhex]

I do like the electric car ideas. I especially like the idea of an interchangeable battery. I think this is the way electric cars will take off.
For example, my battery I pay £10 (for argument sake) a month. I have a 150 mile range on the battery, I can charge it up at home or I can drive into a energy station and they can change the battery for a fully charged one. It'd be a quick few minute change. There would be a small fee to pay to use this service. It would also be automated and insert the battery from under the car. So you wouldn't even need to get out.

Renault did this in Israel, it basically had no users. Tesla abandoned the idea for the same reason.

[directhex]

I'd make an electric sports car that was styled like a vintage petrol car - an E-type jag or something like that.

https://electrek.co/2016/09/19/mecha...ctric-classic/ ?

[Dashers]

Renault did this in Israel, it basically had no users. Tesla abandoned the idea for the same reason.

Isn't this a chicken and egg thing though?

[MrComputerSaint]

Isn't this a chicken and egg thing though?

Just what I was thinking. If you got van owners to do this, taxis, large fleets involved then I think a scheme that was nationwide would be adopted, right now, getting petrol and diesel is easy. If you say well only 20% of petrol stations have battery swap tech. It put's that doubt in your mind. So national coverage would be needed to be adopted I think.

[directhex]

Isn't this a chicken and egg thing though?

It just came down to cost. Most people don't value their time enough for a 5 minute battery replacement at a $70 price to outweight a 30 minute charge for ~free

http://www.plugincars.com/renault-ni...ng-127151.html