garethpowys
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posted on 21/11/02 at 09:33 PM |
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Renault 5
Hi,
Although I am working hard on the design of my Mini powered MEC I still have a bee in my helmet (actually happened once, not funny at 110mph!) about a
retro styled single seater. Something in the style of a late fifties early sixties F1 car. That was around the time that Cooper introduced the
successful mid engine car to F1 so it was a sort of a change over period between front and rear engined cars (or more accurately front-mid and
rear-mid).
I've considered both configurations, I actually quite like the idea of a front engined jobby particularly since I don't recall seeing a road car
like it. However you would end up sitting on top of the prop shaft, leading to a high seating position. Not strictly a problem but it set my mind off
in search of a solution*. Then I remembered the Brooke 245 kit car. Similar sort of look but with an early R5 engine and transmission, so it was FWD.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not planning to build a FWD locost. What this did is set me thinking along different lines. For those of you who don't
recall the original R5 it had a N/S engine behind the front axle line with the transmission at the front. So the lines I was thinking along were
these:
Is it possible to turn the Renault transmission around like a Beetle? (ie by moving the crownwheel to the other side) If so I could get a very cheap
N/S mid engined configuration.
Gareth
* Reminds me of something I was told once, it went something like: An engineer is somebody who solves problems that weren't problems until they
solved them.
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robinbastd
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posted on 21/11/02 at 10:15 PM |
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You might be too young to remember the Hudson Freespirit/Kindredspirit. Not that it is at all relevant as they were fwd 3 wheelers!!!!!
Many thanks for the Mi16 comments,thankfully the hot hatch lads around here are extremely impecunious!So I might just find one..............
regards
Ian
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