#WeirdCarMastodon content
Today, an earlier Tatra, the 87, produced from 1936. Seen here at Techno Classica Essen, the black car in 2022, the silver car in 2013. The rear-mounted air-cooled V8 engine was already an established part of the Tatra recipe, along with an unusual degree of attention to the science of aerodynamics for the time, just two of the advanced features associated with Tatra’s famous head engineer Hans Ledwinka. More Ledwinka tomorrow. #WeirdCarMastodon #davidsdailycar #Tatra
#WeirdCarMastodon content
@davidwilkins I really want to know what the drag coefficient is. It was clearly designed to be aerodynamic and probably without the aid of modern tools like wind tunnels… but did it work? Does it have a low drag coefficient for the era?
#WeirdCarMastodon content
@gpowerf That said, the Tatras were well known for their high top speeds so perhaps it was effective - although I think the frontal area was low too, which would have helped as well.
#WeirdCarMastodon content
@gpowerf I think the answer is that they took an engineering/scientific approach to it, rather than treating ‘streamlined’ just as a design theme but I’m guessing the state of knowledge then would have been quite rudimentary by today’s standards. I think I’m right in saying that some sleek-looking old cars like the Citroen DS and Jag E-Type have unremarkable aero. IMHO the most interesting (opposite) case is this, the 1960s Alfa Giulia: https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/aerodynamic-efficiency-1969-alfa-romeo-giulia-1300-ti