I was passed by an early Audi 100 today with the cd0.30 in the rear quarterlight window - what a fantastic design, still looks fresh and modern, only the tiny alloy wheels gave it away as an early 80´s motor.
Got me thinking about when I´m going to get round to buying one...probably a money pit, but hey, better than an MGB!
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Sierra hatch was 0.34, I'm sure - very slippery shape but very Cortina-esque detailing in things like the windows and the guttering.
Carlton was cD of 0.28, I think and most modern cars are actually less aerodynamic.
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2.1 - a smooth brick
0.9 - a typical bicycle plus cyclist
0.7 to 1.1 - typical values for a Formula 1 car (wing settings change for each circuit)
0.7 - Caterham Seven
at least 0.6 - a typical truck
0.57 - Hummer H2, 2003
0.51 - Citroën 2CV
0.42 - Lamborghini Countach, 1974
0.39 - Dodge Durango, 2004
0.38 - Volkswagen Beetle
0.38 - Mazda Miata, 1989
0.372 - Ferrari F50, 1996
0.36 - Citroën DS, 1955
0.36 - Ferrari Testarossa, 1986
0.36 - Opel GT, 1969
0.36 - Citroën CX, 1974 (the car was named after the term for drag coefficient)
0.34 - Ford Sierra, 1982
0.34 - Ferrari F40, 1987
0.34 - Chevrolet Caprice, 1994-1996
0.338 - Chevrolet Camaro, 1995
0.33 - Dodge Charger, 2006
0.33 - Audi A3, 2006
0.33 - Subaru Impreza WRX STi, 2004
0.32 - Toyota Celica,1995-2005
0.31 - Citroën GSA, 1980
0.30 - Saab 92, 1947
0.30 - Audi 100, 1983
0.30 - Porsche 996, 1997
0.29 - Honda CRX HF 1988
0.29 - Subaru XT, 1985
0.29 - BMW 8-Series, 1989
0.29 - Porsche Boxster, 2005
0.29 - Chevrolet Corvette, 2005
0.29 - Honda Accord Hybrid, 2005
0.29 - Lotus Elite, 1958
0.29 - Mercedes-Benz W203 C-Class Coupe, 2001 - 2007
0.28 - Toyota Camry and sister model Lexus ES, 2005
0.28 - Porsche 997, 2004
0.28 - Saab 9-3, 2003
0.27 - Infiniti G35, 2002 (0.26 with "aero package")
0.27 - Mercedes-Benz W203 C-Class Sedan, 2001 - 2007
0.26 - Toyota Prius, 2004
0.25 - Honda Insight, 1999
0.24 - Audi A2 1.2 TDI, 2001
0.212 - Tatra T77, 1938
0.195 - General Motors EV1, 1996
0.19 - Mercedes-Benz "Bionic Car" Concept, 2005 (based on the boxfish)
0.137 - Ford Probe V prototype, 1985
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Very interesting RF, where oh where did you find that info!
Nevertheless I am sure that I remember reading that the Audi 100 only beat the Sierra to become the most aero car of it's day because the actual 100 tested had very skinny tyres and only a drivers door mirror. Perhaps Sierra L was better than a Ghia, or the other way around due to the Ghia's flush grill panel.
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Its on wikipedia
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Its on wikipedia
Thanks, RF. Now, why didn't I think of wikipedia?
Mind you, it is a rather odd collection of vehicles. Nothing as common as a Focus, Clio, VW Golf, etc.
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Only certain versions of the Sierra had the low drag ratio, (the ones with the skinnier tyres and flush hub caps). It was a lot of trickery and it all went to pot when they had to tack stabilising ears on it and freshen up the looks.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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My first company car was an 88 'E' 1.6 L Sierra facelift model.
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You can add to that .....
0.28 - Hillman Imp, 1964
The Imp benefitted from the fact that there was no front radiator, and hence airflow over the front was smoother. I did a bit of vehicle aerodynamics in the wind tunnel at MIRA circa 1964 to 1975. An E-type with the hood down was 0.45.
If you want good aerodynamics, don't put the hood down!
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L\'escargot.
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Audi 100 with Cd 0f 0.03 was based on the NSU Ro80. Very similar glasshouse.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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What about the Alfa B.A.T. cars, with 0.019? And that was a long time before the Audi 100 came along.
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Audi 100 with Cd 0f 0.03 was based on the NSU Ro80.
0.03? Blimey, that is low.
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L\'escargot.
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>> Audi 100 with Cd 0f 0.03 was based on the NSU >> Ro80. 0.03? Blimey, that is low. -- L\'escargot.
I think this must depend on the units used. I have seen it quoted as both 0.3 and 0.03.
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One of the few weaknesses of the Audi 100 was that it wasn't usable without the heater fan on, which I always put down to its slipperiness not allowing enough air into the cabin without help.
For Barchettaman: if you're serious and you look carefully, you might find a well cared-for 100 around like mine was when I let it go after ten years of near-faultless service and with, I reckoned, half a million miles to go. There was but one pin-hole of rust in the paintwork and the only persistent issue was a cool-running problem, which three separate main dealers failed to fix, but which turned out to be instantly fixable with VAG's own fuel additive, which I tried at HJ's suggestion. Oh, and a front wheel bearing got noisy at about 55k (a known weakness), so was replaced. A very robust and practical car, good looking and with an enormous boot, I doubt that it need be a money pit, not least because of the durability of the paintwork.
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It is an appealing thought, I´ve always loved the shape. But realistically it´s not going to happen I think. Once the barchetta goes (sound of sob being supressed, but 3 into a B don´t go) we might get an Alfa 166 with the big engine to run around in, as I love that shape nearly as much, and we can (obviuosly) get something much newer for not much more cash - they´re cheap as you like over here.
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Cd is a ratio, rather than a unit. From memory Cd is the ratio of the drag created by the object under test divided by the drag created by a flat plate of the same frontal area under the same conditions. A Cd of < 0.1 seems very unlikely. More likely to be a typing error than different units.
JS
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The current Accord is pretty good with a Cd of 0.26.
Andy
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