Όσο τα δικαστήρια προσπαθούν να αποφασίσουν σε ποιον ανήκει το σχέδιο του Deltawing, η Deltawing Technologies μας παρουσίασε ένα πρωτότυπο της έκδοσης δρόμου του αγωνιστικού αλλά και την αγωνιστική έκδοση της έκδοσης δρόμου του αγωνιστικού –sic-.
Τα δύο οχήματα εκτίθενται στο Vendor Village της Road Atlanta και περιγράφονται από την εταιρία ως “περαιτέρω εξέλιξη” των προηγούμενων προσπαθειών. Η Deltawing Technologies δεν έδωσε στη δημοσιότητα πολλές πληροφορίες για τα τεχνικά χαρακτηριστικά των μοντέλων αλλά δήλωσε ότι η αρχιτεκτονική έχει βελτιωθεί και ο αεροδυναμικός συντελεστής οπισθέλκουσας είναι της τάξης του 0.26. Η εταιρία συμπλήρωσε δε ότι η έκδοση δρόμου είναι σχεδιασμένη έτσι ώστε να μπορεί να “φιλοξενήσει” πρακτικά οποιονδήποτε τρέχον, ή μελλοντικό εγκάρσια τοποθετημένο κινητήρα, ανεξαρτήτως καυσίμου – βενζίνη, πετρέλαιο ή ακόμα και CNG. Η πλατφόρμα μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί και σε συνδυασμό με υβριδικά ή ηλεκτρικά powertrains!
Όσον αφορά στο Deltawing GT concept, είναι σχεδιασμένο να ζυγίζει μεταξύ 810 και 900 κιλών και να χρησιμοποιεί έναν κινητήρα 350-400 ίππων. Η Deltawing Technologies ανακοίνωσε επίσης ότι θα ξεκινήσει δοκιμές αργότερα μέσα στο 2015 σε μία προσπάθεια υλοποίησης του στόχου δημιουργίας “τόσο ενός διθέσιου Panoz Deltawing GT, όσο και ενός τετραθέσιου Panoz Deltawing για τον δρόμο”.
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DELTAWING TECHNOLOGY GROUP UNVEILS DELTAWING GT CONCEPT
- Concept car showcases DeltaWing® design in a new form and one step closer to a highly efficient street-legal two-seat GT car
- Company also displays DeltaWing GT race car concept chassis that is the foundation of the street-legal car’s underpinnings
- DeltaWing Technology Group to conduct real-world testing by the end of 2015
Braselton, Ga., Oct. 1, 2015 – DeltaWing Technology Group today revealed at Road Atlanta a full-size concept of what a Panoz DeltaWing GT street-legal car could look like, as well as a DeltaWing® GT race car concept chassis, providing a glimpse of the fuel and energy efficient DeltaWing® architecture in another form. The display showcases the company’s rapid progress toward a new DeltaWing race car and ultimately a highly efficient Panoz DeltaWing® car for the street.
Both are on display Oct 1-3 in the DeltaWing Racing Cars and Panoz exhibit in Road Atlanta’s Vendor Village. Road Atlanta is home to the 18th Annual Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda, the finale of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup season.
The Panoz DeltaWing GT concept car and DeltaWing GT race car concept chassis broke cover just six months after DeltaWing Technology Group’s March 2015 announcement that it would begin developing a DeltaWing GT race car concept. Development began immediately after the company received the results of an independent engineering analysis of a four-passenger road car concept based on the patented DeltaWing narrow front track vehicle architecture. That analysis showed it could achieve nearly 74 mpg highway and 57 mpg combined.
The team then focused on further refinement of the architecture and design, preparing for prototype development. As a result, the Panoz DeltaWing GT road car design’s coefficient of drag in simulation has been optimized and currently is in the 0.26 Cd range.
The efficiency and performance of the DeltaWing vehicle architecture can be defined as a “green technology multi-tool.” The architecture can accept virtually any current or future transverse engine powertrain and deliver significant fuel savings and green benefits when compared to traditional vehicle designs. The DeltaWing platform also can be fitted with all-electric or hybrid powertrains; today’s smaller and lighter high-efficiency gas, diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) engines. As a result, it can:
Reduce EV range anxiety and help put more EVs on the road, further reducing emissions and helping improve air quality
Further extend a diesel-powered vehicle’s already impressive range
Reduce emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles by up to 42 percent and even extend the range of hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles
Applying lessons learned through DeltaWing racing
Sports car endurance racing fans are familiar with the DeltaWing. It debuted as the inaugural Garage 56 entry at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans and quickly proved it could compete with technology rather than brute horsepower. Today the Claro/Tracfone DeltaWing Racing Cars DWC-13 Coupe competes in IMSA’s 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship with about half the weight and aerodynamic drag, half the horsepower, and half the fuel consumption while delivering the same performance as its competitors.
The DeltaWing Technology Group engineering and design team leverages the data acquired through racing and applies it to next-generation projects like the DeltaWing GT. For example, many DeltaWing GT race car concept sub-assemblies like steering and suspension are derived from the DWC-13 Coupe, and what has been learned about the DWC-13’s driving dynamics influence the direction of the DeltaWing GT street and race projects. Preliminary DeltaWing GT race car concept targets call for a vehicle powered by a 350 to 400 horsepower engine and weighing about 1,800 to 2,000 lbs, depending on the powertrain.
The goal is to begin real-world testing of a DeltaWing GT race car concept prototype in 2015 to further drive the company’s goal of creating both a two-passenger Panoz DeltaWing GT and four-passenger Panoz DeltaWing car for the road. Like the DeltaWing DWC-13 Coupe, the company hopes to acquire valuable data through motorsports but has not announced official plans to race the DeltaWing GT race car concept.
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