Has anyone seen this thing yet? WR has always had some unusual, radical, or otherwise unorthodox LMP entries, and this thing does not disappoint. The nose looks stupid (Duck-Billed Platypus anyone?) and the front fenders look really narrow (especially when you see the bulges for the wheels on the inner face) but the aero management from the front diffuser and the sidepods is very, very intriguing.
Mulsanne's Corner has a quick blurb about it, with some insight from Mike Fuller. More info can be found on the french site Endurance Info.
Both coupes and open cockpits are allowed until 2010. New coupes debuting this year are Lola B08/60 and Dome S102. Maybe they should rename LMP1 to UFO1 until 2010.
I'm afraid the radical rule plans for 2010 including that illustration (made by ACO, so it's official, but nothing to do with Corvette, they actually did not like that) have silently changed... So the protos will be just pretty much the same than now but with a mandatory cockpit, altough wider and higher, with 1100 mm windshield from the base which is much wider than e.g. Peugeot 908 has. Afaik LMP2 can be both. Bodywork: higher side pontoons and probably limited aerodynamics.
ACO has said they want to refrain from Daytona Prototype looks and would like manufacturers to use "design elements from road cars". It would be logical to get rid off these ugly single-seater noses. Unfortunately I can't see how it would be going back to late 90's "GT prototypes", Mercedes-Benz CLR kind of looks which I guess was the original master plan, at least when looking at that Corvette mock-up...
Offtopic: this season will be the most interesting for a while. First of all, Peugeot will most likely show up in 12h Sebring and Audi & Joest will run two R10s in LMS. So Pug vs. Audi whole year!
Something surely interesting related to that new couple Lola, is that it will be equipped with Aston Martin engine (from DBR9). ACO has allowed GT1 homologated production engines in LMP cars, so suddenly AM has big interest. So much that there are rumours that Gordon Murray could be designing LMP1 for them. The entry this year will be run by Charouz but supported by Prodrive engineers - sounds like a test drive.
There's actually 4 closed cockpit chassis for this year. Don't forget about the Epsilon; P1 will be a closed cockpit, P2 will be open according to the latest documents I've read, and it should be ready for the 08 season (or at least LeMans).
According to what I've read, GT1 engines in P1 cars have always been allowed (er, at least are, currently, anyways) it's just that because of their homologation rules they're much heavier, but they run the same restrictors as the current P1 cars. For 08, this rule has changed allowing the GT1 engined protos to use a larger restrictor. This means that despite the weight disadvantage (reducing acceleration) they will have more power, increasing top speed. This obviously is a benefit at tracks like LeMans. Also, the team running the AM engine is a privateer team. They may well be getting some support from ProDrive, though; that is an interesting prospect in any case.
I first heard that AM was entering a closed cockpit P1, the next day I heard it was just a Lola B08/60 with an AM engine, the following day I found the rest of the info. Definitely put out the flames, but the ashes are still pretty bright. Hopefully this will spawn the prototype itch at Prodrive; AM have had a GTP in the past, I hope they will again, soon.
Yeah, ACO "teased" by saying there will be coupes from four manufacturers, but I forgot because there aren't real pics of it (other than the old renders). Lola B80/60 will have a LMP2 version too, so basicly five coupe models.
Dunno but the official announcement kind of says it in a way that it would be new rule for this season: "In a further attempt to reduce costs a series production engine (in contrast to those designed exclusively for racing) can be installed in LM P1 and LM P2 cars."
The announcement says "...while engineers from Aston Martin Racing will support the car on event"
Also interesting where it says AMR has contracted the drivers.
Foil hat mode on: in 2009 it will be 50 years since they're first and only Le Mans win Group C era AMR1 was more of a short-lived, maybe not failure but they quit before it had a chance.
The first Audi concept makes me want to puke, but then i saw the second ones and they look great. Too bad they ain't official.
Almost all the closed cockpits look great. They should be transfering over this year ffor the sake of being able to look at the TV while the car's on camera
Those could be better yeah, but the front and cockpit design pwn the other one. The other one looks like a snow plough. Though this would do the job better it IMO still looks better.
I know that's a speculative render, but what's with these bulbous cockpits? Is there some kind of aero advantage influencing the design, since it seems to be a feature of a lot of the 'enclosed' cars.
THe most aerodynamcal shape is a waterdrop. And the lower half is a perfect sphere. Then the upper half (if it's falling down ofcourse) swoops back into a pointy shape (idealy).
Maggot i said the 'more beautiful one' would do the job better but the other one resembles a snow plough more to me...
EDIT: well i was a bit too quick by saying a waterdrop is the most aerodynamical form. But it is very so. The reason for it making a sphere (half of it) is that the atoms atract eachother. Mass tends to stick togheter. So we get a sphere but the low pressure area behind the drop makes some of the water to be pulled out, forming that tail. That makes the air glide over the back of it rather nicely. Witht he teardrop shape (more or less) you get quite good aerodynemic performance (lower drag) with a lot of space to put the driver in.
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Group C era AMR1 was more of a short-lived, maybe not failure but they quit before it had a chance.
cant wait for this years Lemans