Story by Peter Brock • Photograph Courtesy the Author
It seems difficult to understand why people are still so interested in the origins and concept of a 50-year-old racing car, but fascination in the aerodynamic details of my design for the Daytona Cobra Coupe continues unabated. There are books on the subject where I explain how its unique shape was derived from …
I always look forward to articles by Peter Brock. He was there during some of the greatest times in U.S. motorsports and made contributions whose importance cannot be over-emphasized. When it comes to history, maybe not so much. Twice in his articles Mr. Brock has described Richie Ginther as having been "a helicopter pilot in Vietnam." By the time there was a need for U.S. helicopter pilots in Vietnam, Ginther was well into his career as one of the most under-rated drivers of any era. He worked on helicopters and other aviation tasks during the Korean War (1950-53.)
Anyone else read "Peter Brock" the same way that Homer Simpson says "doughnuts"?
Peter wrote Ginther had been a helicopter mechanic in Vietnam, not pilot, in the above article.
Have no idea how Homer Simpson says donuts; who is he and who cares?
Peter provides historically relevent information. One would presume to the best of his recollection.
Don't be so hyper critical.
I'm sorry that I said "pilot" instead of mechanic. Who knows where that brain cramp came from. The point is that Brock places him in a place and situation that isn't correct. I'm not criticizing him (note my regard for his accomplishments.) I'm just trying to keep the historical record accurate. When I come across something in an article that I know is incorrect it makes me wonder about accuracy of things I have no knowledge of.
4jarlson2, I totally agree regards brain farts and cramps, all too well, at 74.
Accuracy ..... was reading a Trans Am press release the other day that put Corvair into the Pony Car category of Mustangs, Cougars, Camaros, Cudas, relative to the early years of TA.
Inaccuracies all over the place when it comes to decades and decades old automotive history.
The one that irritates me the most is referring to Zora Arkus-Duntov as the 'Father' of Corvette! And that mistake is made a lot by some knowledgable people who should know better.
I get nervous about accuracy when it comes to torque wrench lb/ft settings and other such critical dimensions and data. Articles and stories that rely on memory and recollection, not so much.
Enjoy a great sports day, except here in MD where it is snowing!
Sorry about that, Mike. I'm in Laguna Beach, CA and it's 75 and sunny.
It's sad but true that as we get older our short term memory fails us to the point we can't remember what we had for breakfast. But it seems our long term memory gets better and better to the point we can remember stuff that never happened. May all our memories be happy ones even if they are not completely true.
Aero drag is usually considered as consisting of three elements; lift, shape and surface with frontal area a big deal multiplier. The spoiler destroys lift drag at the expense of a minor increase to shape drag. Peter's original concept of a ring spoiler would have done the same thing BUT the shape drag would not have been increase as much, and the device was tunable for different tracks. Because the device was movable it could be used to radically increase shape drag to aid braking and then repositioned for straight speed. The use of down force devices actuall increases shape drag to the point that top speed is reduced but cornering capability is radically increased, thereby reducing lap times. Look at or read the history of the Chaparrel. A couple of more things, the Daytona had a small forntal area, Look at pics of it along side the Cobra roadster. Lastly there's the whole subject of internal aiflow and the flow of air under the car. There's a good SAE paper on how Ford used under car airflow on the 2005 GT. Another interesting place to look is at Gordom Murry's T50 "fan" aided aero car for the street.
I am extremely lucky that I get to spend quite a bit of time with Peter Brock. He is a quiet, unassuming man. He is very modest and a good listener. We could all learn from this amazing man.
I was fortunate to get to know Peter, a very nice guy when working on a project for an auto mfr. The timing coincided with the SEMA show that year. The SEMA show marked the debut of a Daytona Cobra coupe replica. I saw Peter and asked him, jokingly, if he was going to receive royalties. He said no but he knew exactly which car they took the mold from. He went on to say that due to the time crunch getting cars completed for Le Mans, some of the fabrication was farmed out to other shops. The shop that did the donor car misread the drawings and, as a result, the windshield angle was more upright than specified. The mistake cut approximately 20 mph off of the top speed. Therefore, the car was only used for testing and was never raced.
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