Aerodynamics, a technology tool or a marketing opportunity? Part Two The interesting thing with cars whose form comes from aerodynamic research is that they do look different from mainstream vehicles; this difference can be that they look awful, but it can also be that they look beautiful. We do not see many truly beautiful cars being launched these days, but aero-forms in the late 1930s, and after the Second World War (during which aerodynamic research was purely devoted to aircraft design) produced some superb designs. One of the most daring design houses was Saoutchik who were based in Paris. Russian born Jacques Saoutchik founded his French coachbuilding company in 1906, buy the 1930s he was designing car bodies for all the grand marques, his customers were some of the wealthiest people in Europe. One of his most remarkable designs was based on a Hispano Suiza chassis. It was the 1938 Dubonnet Xenia Streamliner, built for André Dubonnet, a famous French suspension designer. More obscure aerodynamic cars of the period included the outrageous 1936 Dubonnet Ford and the 1935 Auto Union Rekordwagen; but the six-wheeled Mercedes T80 record car was the most extreme example of prewar aero development. During the 1950s and 60s most car companies just got on with selling cars and making money, aerodynamics was rarely seen as an area of research to be taken seriously. However, in France, where petrol was very expensive and tax on cars with large engines was very high, both Citroen and Panhard produced brilliantly innovative designs. Citroen offered two ways to save fuel, the 2CV which took the philosophy of extreme light weight, simplicity and low purchase price, and the ID and DS with aerodynamic sophistication plus innovative materials and engineering to reduce weight. The Panhard PL17 had both low weight (805 kg)and low aerodynamic drag, the Cd was said to be just 0.26; it could run at over 130 kmh (85mph) with just 42hp from its two cylinder 850cc engine. The chassis was cast aluminium, the bumpers, trim and some of the body panels were also pressed from aluminium, a truly modern car from 1955, which is almost forgotten now. Ferdinand Porsche was a prolific engineer whose design consultancy designed everything from Tanks to Grand Prix cars was a strong believer in aerodynamic efficiency. His 1939 Berlin – Rome racecar had a very low powered air-cooled KDF (later Volkswagen) 50hp engine but had a top speed of 160kmh thanks to careful wind tunnel development. The body form of future Porsche cars is already seen in this early prototype. The chief designer at the SAAB automobile company in Sweden was another great enthusiast for aerodynamic forms. SAAB was principally and aircraft company but decided to diversify in to automobiles in late 1945, by 1946 designer Sixten Saxton had built a tiny prototype car, the UrSaab; the second version of the car was a beautifully efficient form that Saxton had developed in a self-built wind tunnel at the new Saab factory in Trolhatten in central Sweden. This car became the SAAB 92 that was launched in 1949. The little 25hp power engine gave a top speed of more than 105kmh thanks to the low drag of the body. In 1955 Citroen stunned to automotive world by presenting the DS19 at the Paris Auto Salon, the Ds replaced Citroen Traction 11cv model that was a very old fashioned looking car by 1955. These days it is hard to imagine just what a remarkable leap forward the design of the DS was. It made every other car look totally outdated. I have always wondered quite how designer Flaminio Bertoni (nothing to do with Italian design house Bertone) managed to clear his mind of every pre-conceived idea of what a car should look like, and design a shape like was nothing that had ever been seen before. Even after 20 years in production the DS continued to look as futuristic as when it was launched, it is only the details that date the car now, 60 years after it was designed. So this is still a period where those companies that chose to follow a design culture of efficiency, often for simple reasons of economics were using aerodynamic research as an engineering and design tool. The grey suited marketing men had yet to decide that aero was a marketing tool! But they will arrive in part three!
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 18:30:00 +0000
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