Re: Buick Invicta Concept revealed; 2010 LaCrosse previewed
Interesting. A bit more squared off around the lights and top of the grille than I thought and depicted in my chop below. Not sure I like that on a Buick which usually is more rounded in it's styling.
This is not a thinly veiled production car as there are cut lines that differ from the production prototype. The cut line at the base of the A pillar is changed, as is the cut line between the front bumper clip and the front fender. The lower vent under the front bumper will be almost exactly as portrayed on my chop, going by the spy pic. Also the top of the grille on the spy pic shows a much softer top to the waterfall grille bars with less protrusion out from the horizontal grille surround. This concept also has a lower roofline and a shorter trunk than the prototype. So it will be interesting to see how 'softened' the design is on the final production car.
Below is a comparison between parts of the concept and the production prototype. I thought I would explain why they are different and what it may mean for how much of the concepts design makes it to production.
If you look at the red arrow on the concepts inset pic of the A pillar you will see that the line next to the windscreen is sharp, making the A pillar slab sided. But if you look at the red arrow on the A pillar on the prototype on the trailer you will see that the A pillar is curved and rounded like most cars. This is because, especially with CAFÉ, you need the best aerodynamics for low fuel use.
We know with the Volt concept that it was made before going in the wind tunnel and they have had to change a lot. The same with this concept. As wind piles up as it runs into the windscreen and forms a high-pressure zone then it must move around the windscreen. Some goes up over the roof and the rest goes around the sides.
So a high-pressure stream of air has to pass across the A pillar at high speed from the windscreen side to the side windows. If this is rounded then the air moves smoothly and maintains it's laminar flow, meaning that it doesn't break up and start to tumble and cause eddies and turbulence, which saps fuel economy. But if the edge is sharp then it's like falling over a small waterfall, and just like the water bubbles and boils around turbulently under a waterfall, so too would air over that concept's sharp A pillar.
The problem is that if they smooth that off, as they have done, then what of the sharp raised ridge on the bonnet which the A pillar flows into and which the portholes are on the inside edge of? Will they be softened and rounded too - probably. They may even have to reposition the portholes.
If we look at the inset of the concepts grille and compare it to the prototypes grille we see under the red arrows that the top of the grille bars sit out much further on the concept than on the production prototype. This is again due to airflow. Those 'teeth' like tops of the grille on the concept would be like forcing air through a comb, it would cause a break-up of the laminar flow needed. The prototypes much smoother softer grille will interfere with airflow much less and get better fuel economy.
The sharp edge at the top of the lights may also have to be rounded more in the name of good aerodynamics and fuel economy.
Just though I’d share these little interesting facts.
I think these colored cars are closer to what the production cars will look like. I raised the roof, smoothed the body a little and changed the grille and under bumper vent to match the prototype.
OK. I did this one with smaller wheels just for jason4225 who asked for them and more normal side windows.
I also made the B pillar more prominent and changed the A pillar and front clip cut lines to production.
