Ed Welburn's 1985 Olds Aerotech Streamliner Presages McLaren Speedtail

[dcbingaman]

Another Ed Welburn "blast from the past" was the Oldsmobile Aerotech streamliner which was based on the March 84C Indy car chassis and a very low drag, ground effect body. This car used a twin-turbocharged 2.3 "Quad 4" 4-cylinder which over 1000 HP. AJ Foyt drove this baby around a large track in Stockton, TX and set the current closed circuit record speed of 267 mph. The car was capable of 290 mph in a straight line. Simply incredible then and now.

So......McLaren sets out to build a successor to the spectacular F1 of 1990's fame and who do the copy for inspiration ? Ed Welburn. Take a look at their new "Speedtail" and Wilbur's baby and you tell me who is copying who, LOL ??!! The McLaren is aimed as the ugly as sin Bugatti Chiron with a 250 mph top speed and room for three. Only 106 will be built and if you ask the price you can't afford it.

[John]

Thanks Binger. McLaren “borrowed” some of Ed Welburn’s expertise, but failed to pull it off IMO.

[Racer86]

the rear diffuser and the long tail, are an effort to smoothly close the air flow at the rear of the car. This reduces the drag. Ever wonder why the back of your vette collects so much dust and dirt ? It’s from the air leaving the body at the rear and turbulence of the air tumbling down to fill the low pressure created by a flat rear panel ( Kamm style)
the Kamm design is effective and can produce similar drag reductions compared to the size and weight of a long tail design. But, keeping air flow attached to the surface is the name of the game. Many ways to do it.

[John]

Ever since the C5, keeping the rear of the car from looking like a mess has been a big issue, even with just a little dust and just a little rain.

[dcbingaman]

Here's another interesting set of photos: the new McLaren Speedtail, the record setting 1985 Olds Aerotech, and the record setting 2018 Porsche 919 Evo. Notice the similarities of the later two, too each other, up and including the location of the radiators, the aerodynamics of the nose and "canopy bubble", and the treatment of the wheelhouses. The Aerotech was a real pathfinder for the LMP1 cars that showed up 30+ years later.

The Speedtail is compromised for fitting three seats inside, making the "canopy bubble" much wider than the other two. Not sure why McLaren didn't go for a single-seat car, since it is barely street legal as it is. Tell me what you think...

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[John]

Thanks Binger! Three person seating in the McLaren Speedtail is odd to me also. Maybe if is for a couple and their dog to go along with them. The very rear of the car when viewed from the side of the MS is also not appealing to me. However love it hood openings. Very attractive.

I really love the Aerotech! Way, way advanced for its time.

[meyerweb]

Even the aerotech borrowed from cars that came before. Look at some of the LeMans winning cars and you'll see great similarities.

Or go even further back, to the Buick Streamliner of 1948:



Or the Mercedes W125, which went 269 mph in 1935:

[meyerweb]

Thanks Binger! Three person seating in the McLaren Speedtail is odd to me also.

Three person seating is, I think, in homage to the original McLaren Supercar, the McLaren F1 of 1993, which is still considered one of the greatest sports / GT cars ever made.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLare..._and_equipment

On 31 March 1998, the XP5 prototype with modified rev limiter set the Guinness World Record for the world's fastest production car, reaching 240.1 mph (386.4 km/h), surpassing the modified Jaguar XJ220's 217.1 mph (349 km/h) record from 1992. The McLaren's record lasted until the Koenigsegg CCR surpassed it in 2005, followed by the Bugatti Veyron.