Thoughts from Caterham CEO

[breezy7]

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/caterham-ceo-‘i’d-love-produce-aluminium-chassis-seven

[SCse7en]

link not working

[ukchris]

link not working

 

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/caterham-ceo-%E2%80%98i%E2%80%99d-love-produce-aluminium-chassis-seven%E2%80%99

[SCse7en]

Thanks for posting the corrected link! Interesting article, sounds like Caterham wants to develop an alloy bonded chassis similar to what a few other British cars use.

[Davemk1]

It will be interesting to see if Caterham can design a true Seven using an aluminum chassis....it will be a serious design challenge to translate the existing proportions of a Seven into an aluminum chassis.

 

The only practical way to do it is to follow the path set by the Lotus Elise and use large cross section extrusions bonded together. This will of course not work with the shape of a Seven. Just think if the sides of the car adjacent to the driver not being a bit over 1" think and instead being 4"- 6" thick and how that would completely change the proportions of the car. This would happen every where. A space frame can be incredibly small and thin in cross section and anyone that's ever slid over the 6" wide sill of an Elise will know that the bonded ally design is not the same way.

 

Don't get me wrong....the bonded aluminum chassis could be vastly superior to the existing space frame design in terms to stiffness-to-weight and safety but it will get bigger and not look the same like a traditional Seven.

 

I'm excited to see what they come up with.

 

 

dave

[SCse7en]

Morgan example

[panamericano]

Would a central backbone in aluminum work, instead of wide sides? Like the Elan, Renault Alpine, Europa?