No rules ..clean sheet of paper.

[jmpsebring]

As the rules change, so does car design. But if chassis design with today's technology were to build the ultimate racer, what would it be? Are huge ground effect tunnels with skirts still the best path? Was Herb's Escort wing car simply ahead of it's time? If you used a flat 4 turbo with today's reclined driving positions and Nissans FWD skinny rear tires allow for the ultimate catermaran car? Or is something like the Maxda lm55 concept a better design?? Opinions are welcomed.

[JamesB]

Too much possibilities to tell.
Every, and I mean EVEY environement where racing cars or even fancy prototypes are designed, DO HAVE rules to constraint them. The days or "Max weight, that's all" kind rules are long gone. Even the approach of a nineties car sounds naïff nowadays.

First, if you go for "total performance" and with no budget constraints, things get so specific that all depends on the kind of track you are running. For instance, thickness of wheels will depend on the type of corners and the need for acdceleration; constant speed and banked corners would allow ultra skinny tyres.

But as general trends:

1-you cannot waste the opportunity of ground effect, with skirts and all, probably
2-a must, also, would be wheel fairings.
3-Yes the driver behind one row of wheels would be a sound thing, as long as he can see!!
4-Surely all wheel drive, and I say "all" because maybe 6 wheels might be better than 4, or who knows, even 8
5-about engine, it would depend so much of the length of running stint. For a short ride, probably an electric device would have the better efficiency ratio, but I am just guessing.
6-I remember a rombhoid designed sugested by, I think, Scalabroni, who knows!! but seems to increase front cross section for nothing!

[generationx]

Any racing car is a compromise between weight, power, aerodynamics and grip. For a car that needs grip it's all about tyre contact patch and downforce. Certainly a more open formula would bring out the creative side in any design team.

[Villeneuve]

I think a six wheeled(4 at the back), twin chassis ground effect Fan car with a mid eighties Turbo engine would be the ultimate F1 car......
I think the Twin Chassis design would be necessary to keep the car driveable. In other words a mix of the 46B, FW08B, 88 and maybe a Honda or BMW engine.

I am no engineer, but that is the way I would go.

[jmpsebring]

Good point about no rules... got to have some rules
I guess I meant assuming 4 tires and maybe a sitting position....

Also, if one could make a wing car today, I imagine you would want to disrupt that downforce on long straights. I was thinking a flat engine/turbo combo in order to fit it within the cord of the wing. But maybe one can have enough down force within sidepods like the lotus 80 style so a true wing car is not necessary. The ease of having a safer center section, allows the transaxle/narrow v-engine/driver to be inline and become one smooth center teardrop surrounded by large swept undertrays. Admittedly I am partial to full body cars...just because I grew up around endurance racing.

Even in F1...would today's hardware, combined with an Alfa 179/lotus 79 config... but updated with the knowlege of current aerodynamics be the best configuration?