James A said:
All you forum members in Europe, what is the deal, the standards are designed to protect pedestrians?
Correct.
Actually this should not infuence a mid-engined car with double-wishbone suspension like the Elise too much.
The new regulations are to introduce 'soft' areas in the front of the car and the hood, so if a pedestrian gets hit there is less chance of them sustaining severe injuries.
On front-engined cars and using McPherson struts the designers will now need to add at least an inch or so of 'crumple space' between the bodywork and the engine or suspension hard points, so pedestrians hitting the car won't impact these 'solid' parts of the car.
This will result in cars with higher hoods and much more 'blunt' noses, especially in the front-wheel-drive/front engine type cars.
Some manufacturers are trying to get around this by installing an 'active hood', which actually jacks up about 3 inches if the electronics sense an impact on the front bumper. Too prone to malfunctions IMHO though..
Mid-engined cars have an advantage here as there is (of course) no engine at the front, so a nice 'empty' area is already present. Their design will probably be the least compromised as a result of this.
Bye, Arno.