Recently I got a chance to take a drive in an Ferrari Enzo, afterwards the owner allowed me the time really look at what went into it. One thing stuck out, they really went all out on this car, everything seems on a different level of function, as if they wanted to make a statement of prowess, from an engineering stand point i can see the that everything is done to make the whole fill its purpose. The Enzo is a fluid dynamics masterpiece, its less styled without meaningless lines or creases, its very close to production sports car perfection. The front inlet openings are far smaller than the new La Ferrari, flow is directed around the windshield in deep channels even the hood aids in directing airflow into the side channels on to mostly straight flat panels on the sides, radiator intake is far smaller than it seems guiding air onto thin large frontal area radiators, the flat side profile continues all the way to the rear bumper. Underneath the car generates down force without excessively working the airflow which would induce drag. the channel is flat and smooth exiting in the rear through a long and shallow diffuser. Ferrari could have put a more traditional styling on the Enzo kind of like the La ferrari but it chose something else. I'm wondering if the Mclaren F1 didn't have anything to do with it. When it was released I was one of those who didn't like the look, fast forward with different set of eyes I can tell you it's still State of the art. You can't tell that just looking at it but after spending years designing and working out my own sports car I can see all the little things they spent time and effort on to better the whole. To me part of what makes the Enzo great is when aluminum was what worked that's what they used when steel was needed that's what they used when it was carbon fiber that's what they used its the way you build a car that has a defined purpose. they didn't go overboard in material and manufacturing this is called overworking and its a detriment. They were focused on purpose and that focus is evident in all kinds of details around the car non stop. The engine; it should have been a lightweight v8, not be partial to a v-12 because of tradition or competition, the engine itself is race car stuff, Not just in how much or the way it makes power but look closely and you notice the top end is made to be light. the cylinder heads are narrow and all the accessories are mount as low as possible. Today with high end performance cars a big part of time is spent on making functional pieces aesthetically pleasing, I have to say you don't really care about performance if your diverting time to design parts to be pretty, your making art and that's not what sports cars are about. The end result should be focused on performance and the driving experience! Thats all that matters whether it's made of wood or carbon fiber it should be for purpose.
To the majority of automotive press the Enzo is old news we have the new group Laferrari etc. Instead it should be the talking point because its still better than most of today's so called super cars. The Enzo is worth its price tag.
1 Comment
I'll start by saying that when I first started I had only an idea of how intense the development process would be. This is one of those situations my vision of big giant brake rotors and calipers yielded to what that development process was saying was the best way. The prototype started out with basic 4-piston calipers and 13" rotors all around which worked right off the bat, switching to 15" rotors numbed the cars performance with little gained in actual braking, I swapped calipers, pads and countless master cylinder combinations. It was my first personal test. I stepped back. The irony of big rotors is it takes a lot more to slow them down, the 15" rotors needed a lot more heat just to slow the rotors down then they have to slow the car, worse you need more power to accelerate as you spin up that extra mass x 4. They made the whole car heavier. I'm building a light nimble car with fast reflexes to match, it was alway in me to put performance and total function above all. I could have dumped more money and energy into the big brakes to make them more to what I needed, but it would only be eyewash. I had something that worked instead of advancing that I went for a version of what was on every other super car thinking thats the way. I ended up with is a 13.8 inch rotors mated to 4-piston calipers all the way around this happens to work extremely well and while there's probably a better system out there I'm not sure it involves bigger rotors or calipers, for the moment this is one of the best setups for this car. Right about now you're thinking carbon-ceramic, I wouldn't order my own car with em! I was benchmarking, a Porsche when piece broke off one of the rotors killing my track day plus generating a nice $1,500 bill (supposedly a bargain) not to mention tow charges. I don't need failed rotor I didn't make associated with my car or company. Steel rotors are heavy but they can be treated so issues of failure are greatly diminished, I frankly get better feedback and one more thing I can get more stopping power out of a lighter set of smaller diameter brakes than the big 15" rotors. |
Archives
October 2018
Porsche 911 aerodynamic flaw.F-15 vs F-22, Su 35, EurofighterThe passion of the EnzoBigger brakes vs better braking.The STI is worth the $10,000.Anatomy of great handling. |