Going Downhill Fast.

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  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      AUTOMOBILE racing; AUTOMOBILE industry; AB Volvo; VOLVO automobiles; AUTOMOTIVE engineering; GENERAL Motors Corp.
    • Subject Terms:
      CALIFORNIAReport Available; UNITED StatesReport Available
    • Abstract:
      This article reports that in late August, designers from six companies participated in the second annual Extreme Gravity Racing Series in Irvine, California. The Automobile company Volvo AB's Doug Frasher'steam courted gravity with a low, street-luge-style vehicle that traveled on two bicycle-style inline wheels, with a pair of small outriggers. In the end it was nosed out by General Motors Corp.'s (GM) Flying Shoe, seen here, named for its sleek Bill Mitchell-inspired bodywork. According to project manager Steve Anderson, the Shoe's secret weapon was a rear-shifted wheelbase, which boosted speed by pushing the car's center of mass as far as possible up the 75-ft. starting ramp. While GM's Flying Shoe cruised the ramp and 300-ft. runout at 22 mph, on longer courses these cars may top 60 mph. The designers say that although soapbox innovations won't translate directly to production cars, they did spark some creative thinking on the subtleties of friction reduction.