Car Parts 2011

It seems as though Porsche has become this week's agenda here at Flappy Paddle Heads. And while Danny Chin was busy with the air cooled era 911s, he kindly left a bit of room for me to talk about this.

But I have a confession. I know just as much about the new 918 RSR as you do. No more, no less.

Yes, Porsche ran the 911 GT3 R hybrid in the 24 hours of Nurburgring to field test its flywheel generator. Yes, Porsche considered it to be successful. Yes, they carried it over to a very sexy 918 Spyder hybrid supercar concept, which brought journalists to their knees at the last Geneva Auto Show. Yes, Porsche did it again with the 918 RSR, this time it's at Detroit's NAIAS.

I'll run through the specs, but only because I feel that there's always somebody who has to ask, "Well, how fast does it go?" Well are we ready? You better be because this is straight from Porsche AG's website itself:

The V8 engine is a further development of the direct injection engine from the successful RS Spyder* race car and now offers an output of precisely 563 hp at 10,300/rpm in the 918 RSR. The electric motors on the two front wheels each contribute 75 kW, i.e. a total of 150 kW, to the peak drive power of exactly 767 hp. This additional power, which is generated during braking, is stored in an optimised flywheel accumulator.

*now we know they're serious... especially since they used the word "precisely."

But the numbers aren't the reason why I'm writing. No. I won't pretend like I understand even half the technology that Porsche put into the 918 RSR to achieve its figures. Moreover, I think we can better put the numbers into context if we got back to it after the RSR has raced a couple events rather than when it's only spinning on a pedestal, polished in a coat of wax...



A bit of what you just saw in the video made me understand something. When I look back into history, I don't believe Porsche was ever successful on first attempt. Take the 911; from day 1, Porsche has been criticized by many (ahem, Mr. Chin) for misplacing the engine behind the rear axle. Yet somehow, their decades of stubborn trial and error eventually brought us the masterpiece that it is today. The result? Now Porsche practically owns the copyright to the RR engine layout.

Now in this particular video, emphasis has been placed on another Porsche legend, the 917 race car. Porsche AG design chief, Mr. Michael Mauer says two things that captured my attention. First, "When we look back into the history, definitely the 917 plays one of the major roles." Second, "I always wanted to express as well that the 918 is not really the successor of the 917. This car was supposed to be a symbol for the company and that we are still able to build the best sports cars and racing cars."

Now if you're a fan of Porsche, you'll know that the 917K had won both the 1970 and the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans. But sometimes you have to figure out what they AREN'T saying. While the 917 was put through its paces during development in 1969, test drivers said the car was incredibly unstable. Porsche responded by trying many ideas to curb the issue; modifying the frame, suspension, and aerodynamics but all to no avail. Because of this, privateers still preferred the predecessing 908 over the 917. Moreover, the first privateer driver to race a 917, John Woolfe, crashed his Porsche 917 on the first lap of Circuit de la Sarthe, at Maison Blanche, tragically ending his life.

One could say the rest is history. Porsche stuck to their guns, stubbornly unwilling to give up on the car, fully believing its potential. Their capstone achievement is of course their overall win of 1971. Martini Racing team's Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep ran the #22 917 to a record setting distance of 5,335.313 km. This record has not been broken until just last year, when Audi's R15 TDIs beat the record by 13.629 km. Obviously, Porsche will make sure that you never forget that. Even after Le Mans, the 917's success continued. Porsche transitioned its participation to North America and raced in the Can-Am series from 1972-1973. In this period of participation, the 917 reached its final iteration, the 917/30. This beast flexed 1,580 bhp in qualifying tune, dominating the 1973 season of the Can-Am series. That said, the Porsche 917 is one of the few race cars that dominated multiple series events.

It will seem somewhat weird to explain it this way, but maybe Porsche thrives on doing things the hard way. And maybe they don't win by being clever, or even by being practical, but win by simply never giving up.

We note that the 911 GT3 R Hybrid was the only hybrid racing car out of the 200 vehicles on the grid. It raced hard, led for 11 hours of the 24 Hours of Nurburgring before it broke down only 2 hours from the finish. Although the result was a DNF, and should've been considered a failure, the telemetrics were enough to convince the team that a hybrid system is definitely the future for Porsche Racing.

Porsche has shown us that they will be just as stubborn in their latest racing endeavor, and I can't wait to see the 918 RSR make some hybrid history in motorsports.

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You didn't think I was just going to end the post without some car porn, did you?

In the late 1950s, Ferruccio Lamborghini made a fortune manufacturing tractors in Northern Italy. His new found wealth gave him the opportunity to at one point own a Ferrari 250GT. An "aha" moment occured. Rather than simply fitting repurposed racing engines into a grand touring coupe, Lamborghini believed he could do "GT" even better.


The example you see all the way at the top, with the blond hanging out from the window, is the Lamborghini 400GT (this was before Lamborghini began naming his special vehicles after Spanish fighting bulls). The tuned 3.9-liter Bizzarrini V12 made 320 bhp at a considerably relaxed 6,500 rpm. Essentially, although Ferruccio Lamborghini was fond of Ferraris, he considered their engines too loud and too manic to be proper road cars. One would assume then, that while Ferrari sports cars were engine-centric, Lamborghini was concerned about overall real-life packaging.

Throughout the years, the companies have changed significantly yet their ground has stayed the same. Ferrari continues to focus on their racing development but now creates a certain finesse in their cars-- a balanced chassis for driving pleasure. Lamborghini has taken the role of the engine-centric manufacturer, successively creating iconic and dramatic beasts from the Miura, to the Countach, the Diablo, until finally the current Murcielago as well as the expecting Jota/Aventador. When you take a step back, Ferrari is still a race bred mark while Lamborghini is still a street machine that is not concerned with sporting pedigree.

This has led me to a thought. There is room in Lamborghini's line up still, and they deserve to have a GT like their 400GT, Espada and Islero again. I can guarantee that it will sell. When considering a front engine, rear wheel drive sports grand tourer, there's less to worry about in terms of satisfying those that believe an MR is supposed to handle. We all know that the big Lambos have all been pigs, and it's not even like Lamborghini ever cared. If they did, a V10 wouldn't have been their smallest engine.

There is a real opportunity here to just pen out whatever it is Lamborghini believes an Italian Aston Martin should look like. Straight up front engined V12 Italian sex.


Lamborghini, you got the platform.

Do the damn thing. People will lust for it.

... almost always look like a naked woman lying on her stomach about to get up." -unknown

I would have gladly taken credit for this quote, but let's face it, we all know it was said by someone much more brilliant. If any of you know of its origin, feel free to leave a helpful comment.

Every once in a while, your favorite car magazines will do a cover on what they've nominated as the most beautiful cars in the world. 90% of the time, they've somehow managed to let you down by either not including one of your favorite cars or by putting in a car that you just don't care for. Unfortunately, this may happen here too. If you really want a list that meets your expectations, it'd be easier if you just created your own.

Anyway, back to me. I imagine that industrial design may be one of the most creativity prohibiting fields within design. Oftentimes, designs are dictated by the boring philosophies of practicality and functionality. You've all heard the phrase "form follows function," yes?

Even so, the humble automobile that started out as a tool for transportation, has become something that has transcended to lifestyle, culture, and won the affections of many.

Affection is wonderful. Affection has given upright utility a sprinkling of the irrational. But with a little extra addition of passion (Italian or otherwise), the flood gates opened and we witness the evolution of modern car design.

Through the decades, specifically starting in Europe and the United States during the late 1930's, one shape overcame the test of time and became the shape we have all universally agreed upon as beauty.

A common misconception has been that the most important part of a car is its engine.


Take this picture of an 1918 Peugeot for instance. It suggests to me that it is as powerful as a locomotive, dramatically displays the immensity of its engine. All else is an afterthought.

Later, a new philosophy stated that, in fact, the most important part of the car is its contact points to the road-- the wheels and tires. Car design paid close attention, and eventually devoted attention, to incorporating fenders that cover the wheels and suspension for better protection, aerodynamic fluidity and, of course, aesthetics.

1935 Duesenberg SJ Speedster


1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900


Italian "Pontoon"



1949 Mercury Coupe


American "Character Line"

This design pursuit gave fruit to two key design cornerstones. The "pontoon fender" and the "character line." The majority of later design exercises have always been a combination of the two in varying degrees.

1955 Porsche 550 Spyder

1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa


1963 Ferrari 250 GTO


1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe


1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback

Approaching the late 1960s, we enter the golden age of Italian car design and engineering.

Advances in fiberglass and metallurgy allowed for even more complex surfaces. In order to convey athleticism, designers offered the illusion of tension and bottled energy. No longer is it simply an attractive steel shell covering the mechanical bits. Inspiration created taut, firm skin, appeared to have stretched itself to its limit of tension across the car. What's the result?

Yes you guessed it, the result is a car that looks like a naked woman lying on her stomach.

Through it all, the philosophy from the 1930s remained true in the 1960s-- wheel fender arches are even more aggressively exaggerated, the engine still bulges through the bonnet.

Another notable event happened in the 1960s. A small Italian automaker was founded in the once quiet town of Sant'Agata Bolognese. You may recognize the name from their more recent efforts; Diablo, Murcielago, Gallardo. But in 1966, Lamborghini created their genesis, the very first mid-engined V12 Lamborghini. The Miura.

A sword has two edges, however. In the 1960s, car manufacturers were still in the experimental phase of aerodynamics and many were yet to master wind tunnel techniques. What does this mean? The rule of thumb for designers became, "if it looks slippery, then it is slippery."

1967 Lamborghini Miura

1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale
1968 Ferrari Dino
Porsche 917

Ferrari 330 P4

Ford GT40

1990s Britain's decade of Magnificence. The wind tunnel's path of enlightenment.

Jaguar XJ 220


McLaren F1

Aston Martin DB7

2000s

Porsche Carrera GT

Ferrari F430

Aston Martin DB9
Alfa Romeo 8C Competitzione


Porsche Cayman S

Like many things, design can come back in full circle. For numerous reasons, whether it may be heritage, intellectual recycling, or what not, I do feel that the modern cars, while still thoroughly modern and innovative, borrow a lot from its predecessors.

Nonetheless, I am very amazed at how far and how successful the original Italian Pontoon and the American Character line have developed and evolved while still staying very true to its original intention.

Thank you all for reading this incredibly long post. In a century, there have been millions of cars that have been created so naturally there are numerous cars that have captured our hearts and inspired us.

To the Lotus race car fans, and Lancia Stratos fanatics, Acura NSX tuners, Rolls Royce connoisseurs and yes, even you BMW playboys, I have not forgotten about the contributions your cars have provided but I just couldn't have possibly done them all.