Dino Saga 070107 _ Small Ferrari, Few Basics

Dino Saga 070107 _ Small Ferrari, Few Basics

Got some folks thinking about a small GT. Lots possible with current technology. Fun to sketch on bar napkins. Following are some possibilities for chassis/body.

I am going to use myself, my wife and my Dino as the references. I am 5’11”, 160 lbs. My wife Candi is 5’7”, 125 lbs. The Dino 246 GT fits us perfectly so size, wheel position, shift position, instruments, seating, visibility, heating, ventilation, etc. cannot be improved upon. The absence of center tunnel and console is critical to making it work. I use a 370mm OD Momo wheel and can read speedo and tach fine. We take regular trips to Las Vegas, LA and lots of back country. Luggage space is generous. A full size suitcase for two and golf clubs. Full size spare and tools. Mileage is 12 in town, 22 at 80 mph. 12 gallons gives adequate range. 91-92 octane is fine and available everywhere.

Wheelbase and track are fine. 205 front and 225 rear tire widths are about optimum and are available at reasonable prices, but not in 14” wheel size. I changed mine. First improvement is 16-18” wheels, 8” wide front, 9” wide rear. Must cut wheel weight. Carbon fiber, engineered alloys do wonders. Less weight would allow lower rate springs, better ride. Unequal length A-Arms, coil over shocks can’t be beat. Anti roll bars and linkage is perfect. No lube rubber bushings are perfect. I have retrofitted to no-lube front ball joints. Manual rack and pinion steering, 3 turns lock to lock, perfect.

Body shape is as good as it gets. Sleek, handsome, functional, stampable, 360 degree visibility (GTS is blind in quarters. Bad move). Dated? Look at the front of the Callaway Corvette in the Feb 07 R&T. Then look at the Lotus Exige S a few pages later. One tries for more sophistication (Dino) and one runs as far away as possible. Cars that try to look like supersonic fighters are totally lost. If you have unlimited power you can go fast no matter what the subsonic shape. Jet fighters are designed to control and work with shock waves. Cars are subsonic. Cars with lots of HP can go faster with lots of downforce to stop tire slip so wings and belly ducting. Drag is secondary. Cars with limited horsepower have to take advantage of conventional aerodynamic design. Cut drag. Minimize openings. Fair everything in all directions. Airplanes with limited power do the same. Lancair has built a reputation of getting the most speed out of a useable small piston aircraft. And owners are fielding a series of Reno racers who clean up regularly. They are sporting folks who are willing to pay for something special. I see no reason to change much of the Dino shape. Details, Sure. Materials, sure. Pay homage to some of the “safety” requirements, got to. But the lines are handsome and the shape is as functional as it gets.

Next week I’ll take a look at some of the possibilities for lightening and stiffening the chassis and body. Seems like you could get the weight down to just below that of the 206. Probably not worth going much lower in the interest of keeping a reasonably comfortable GT ride. I’m off to Heavenly and a week of skiing. Drive.

John
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