Tag Archives: car

Car Aerodynamics Beyond the Norm

When you look at any modern car, the aerodynamic design is always going to be advanced since reducing drag is key to fuel economy. However, you will also see a bunch of stuff that is designed to look like it is aerodynamically important, but it is really just styling. Vanes that look like they do a lot are common but the one that is always there is a diffuser. The shaping of the underside of the rear of the car is designed to look like it is there to increase downforce. The underside of the rest of the car is hardly tailored for downforce, so this is really a styling cue.

There are cars, where the aero is significant, though. The Festival of Speed at Goodwood included an Aston Martin Valkyrie. This is a car where aero really does matter. In these two shots, focus on a couple of areas. The rear of the car has quite a diffuser and this one is definitely functional. A combination of flow route either side of the centre of the vehicle combining and expanding to enhance the downforce under the car. Then look near the front wheels in the wider shot. The wheels are isolated with the flow coming around them and then back out of the sides. So much effort went into this design.

Photomerge Likes Weird Stuff

Leave a Reply

The panorama merge function in Lightroom is usually pretty good. It can have some odd quirks, and the three different projections can produce very different results at times but, on the whole, I rely on it for my pano creation. Every once in a while, though, it catches me out. At the Festival of Speed, I did find myself using a longer lens to get elements of a shot with the intent of stitching them together later. Partly, this was because the crew was working around the car and I took shots when they were in different places to aim to have an unobscured car in the final shot.

It was the Red Bull RB17 where I was playing with this. When I went to stitch the images together, Lightroom gave an old result. Instead of either having the whole person or no person, it managed to have parts of them only in the shot. I decided to use Photoshop’s photo merge function instead, but it gave the same results. However, it did this by outputting layers with masks which were then editable. I was able to go into the shots and get rid of the bits I didn’t want while bringing out the bits I did. Some of the blending is not perfect in the revised versions but, for a quick solution, it works fine. If I needed to do more with the images, I would fix the flaws with more care.

Sunday Brings Out the Old Cars

Leave a Reply

A sunny Sunday in late April found me out in the countryside on a photo hunt. As I was walking back to the car, I saw a vintage green Jaguar pass by, and I didn’t have the camera to hand. I was a touch disappointed, but it wasn’t the end of the world. A short while later, I saw a red MG heading towards me and this time I was prepared to get a shot. Stopping off in New Alresford about ten minutes later, the Jag came by again and I did get a shot. I guess, if you own a convertible old car, you get it out as soon as the sun appears. I shall be watching for plenty more.

The Complexity of the Floor of an F1 Car

Leave a Reply

Anyone who follows the details of Formula One is familiar with the endless efforts that go into the design of the aerodynamics of the car. Anyone that knows me knows that I love the aero side of things. The designs will be updated throughout a season to try and maximise the downforce on the car whilst minimising the drag penalty from that downforce. Taking a look at a Williams F1 car at Beaulieu gave a bit of a hint of the tiny details that are included in the design. There is a good chance that this car was not even an operational example and the aero features might not be representative of an actual racing set up, but they are a good approximation of what is involved, and the reality is that it is quite amazing.

These Old Cars Are a Bit Temperamental

Leave a Reply

There was a parade of old cars as part of the Festival of Flight at the Shuttleworth Trust. It was a very hot day so possibly not ideal for cars that were designed a very long time ago. Sadly, one of the vehicles found the conditions not to its liking. The driver had to hop out and see what could be done to sort it out. There didn’t seem to be an immediate solution as, the last I saw of it, a bunch of people were pushing it away. I hope it was nothing too serious. I suspect owning a car this old comes with regular moments of this type.

Woodinville Cruisers Car Club Christmas Light Parade

Leave a Reply

The run up to Christmas brings with it the annual Woodinville Cruisers Car Club Christmas Light Parade in our town. This might be an annual event but it isn’t something we had been to before. The evening was looking dry so we decided to pay it a visit. We didn’t have any idea what to expect but, as we drove down towards the town center, one of the cars for the parade was ahead of us. It wasn’t hard to know where it was going given how many lights were on the outside of the car. (We did spot it in the parade later.)

We went in plenty of time because we didn’t know how crowded it was going to be. This proved to be unnecessarily cautious as the town was still pretty quiet when we arrived – a Sunday night is not hopping in Woodinville – particularly when there is a Seahawks game on TV. We killed a bit of time but as it got close to the 6pm start time for the parade, plenty of people started to show up and, once the cars started rolling, lots of spectators were out.

A firetruck from the local fire department started things off. Then the cars came rolling through. We had no idea how many there would be so we were curious as to whether we would soon be back at home. We needn’t have worried. There were loads of vehicles coming through. Some were vintage vehicles that were interesting in their own rights. Others were modern cars but adorned with tons of lights. Some looked like they had barely bothered to prepare! I was surprised how willing some of the owners were to tape a ton of lights to their paintwork!

I would say that the parade took about half an hour to roll through. There was plenty of pausing as things backed up but there were definitely a ton of different vehicles. Local businesses also took part with their trucks decorated or, in the case of the local balloon pleasure flight business, they had a basket on a trailer with the burners providing a blast of heat and light on a regular basis. A local Facebook group had someone questioning whether there was a fire downtown!

The whole thing was a fun time and we were really pleased to have made the trip out. It far exceeded what we had anticipated and everyone seemed to be having a good time – particularly the kids grabbing the candy thrown from a bunch of the vehicles. There didn’t seem to be any left where we were. Thanks to everyone that took part for making it such an enjoyable event and congratulations to the organizers.

If You Still Want a Land Rover and Have Plenty of Cash…

Leave a Reply

Retro styling combined with modern tech seems to be a big deal these days. The old Land Rover Defender series has been around forever in various forms but recently got a total makeover to a new look. I guess some people don’t want a knew look and the Ineos Grenadier has been created with a look that can best be described as a copy while with a whole bunch of modern tech. It seems like the perfect vehicle for someone with an excess of cash.

I have seen a few around our area recently so I guess the tech types must like them. One was parked up near a favorite haunt of ours and I couldn’t resist getting a shot of it as I walked back to my car. I hope they find it is worth it. Will it be tested off road???

On and Off the Ferries

Leave a Reply

While mum was visiting, we took a trip across to Bainbridge Island. We went across from Seattle to Bainbridge and then returned via Kingston to Edmonds. For now obvious reason, I decided it might be interesting to video the boarding and unloading process from the ferries as we drove the car on and off. I thought the Insta360 would be a good idea for this since it would record a full sphere and I could decide on the editing afterwards without having to worry about which direction the camera was facing while I drove the car. I opened the sunroof of the car and had mum hold it out of the roof.

A little editing back at home to pan and zoom around and the video below was the result. Not exactly a thrill a minute video but more something to have to remember the ferries by should we move away at some time. I have taken more than my fair share of photos of the ferries along with the occasional video so this can go with the larger collection.

The Craziest Abarth Cinquecento I’ve Ever Seen

Leave a Reply

When I was a small kid, we owned a Fiat 126. My friend’s mum had a Fiat 500. It was the old car compared to our “newer” one. A tiny little vehicle but a cute one. Of course, as with everything these days, the 500 made a reappearance more recently as it got a makeover. It also spawned a range of derivatives taking it well away from the original concept. I had never considered the original car to be too sporty so was in for a surprise.

Exotics@RTC had this amazing vehicle on display. An Abarth Cinquecento, this thing is seriously souped up. Forget a back seat. Don’t expect much in the way of creature comforts. Probably come up with a plan of how to get yourself in and out of it for that matter. This thing is quite unlike any old Cinquecento I have ever seen. It looked amazing. The back end of it seemed unable to hold what was included so it was just open to let everything hang loose. What a contrast to everything else that was on display. That is what makes Exotics@RTC so cool. You get these really unusual vehicles showing up.

Can You Make Your Mini Look Retro?

Leave a Reply

I had no idea what this car was when I saw it. There was something familiar about it, but it was still a mystery to me. Then I overheard a conversation from someone, and they explained that the underlying car was a Mini and it had a body kit added to it to result in this outcome. I have no idea why that seemed like a good plan to the owner, but I guess they like it. Once you know it, you center of the vehicle is definitely recognizable as a Mini.