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BBC R4 Wed 5th June - Jaguar's Malcolm Sayer


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#51 kayemod

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Posted 10 June 2013 - 10:57

The GTO came out in 1962 but Ferrari had used the lip spoiler in 1961 on the 246 Dino mid-engine sports-prototype, and surely nobody could have imagined that was to prevent the ingress of exhaust fumes...........on an open car!


I remember reading press reports at the time the 1961 246 Dino sports racer was unveiled, no-one back then seemed to be in any doubt about the purpose of that raised lip, what we'd call a spoiler today, and I'm sure that someone at Jaguar must have been an Autosport reader and seen the same write-up that I did. Is it possible that Sayer was in love with the shape he'd created, and didn't want its purity of form spoiled with add-ons?


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#52 Roger Clark

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Posted 10 June 2013 - 11:36

The 1961 sports-racing Ferrari did not have a rear spoiler when presented to the press in February 1961. In fact, they had a large fin on the tail and looked most peculiar. By the time of their first race, Sebring in March, the fin had gone and the spoiler had appeared.

#53 David Birchall

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Posted 10 June 2013 - 16:43

The GTO body was developed in the wind tunnel at Milan University I think legend has it. However, even then it took track testing to determine the need for a spoiler and this was initially just tacked on. The GTO did have an advantage over the E-Type at the front end as well-front end lift was always a problem with the E-Type body, whereas the GTO had no problem at the front.

#54 D-Type

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Posted 10 June 2013 - 20:35

The 1961 sports-racing Ferrari did not have a rear spoiler when presented to the press in February 1961. In fact, they had a large fin on the tail and looked most peculiar. By the time of their first race, Sebring in March, the fin had gone and the spoiler had appeared.

And in Motor Sport for June 1961, P.466, in his Targa Florio report DSJ gives a full description of the spoiler and a photograph. Surely someone at jaguar would have read the report.

#55 RCH

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Posted 10 June 2013 - 20:54

The GTO body was developed in the wind tunnel at Milan University I think legend has it. However, even then it took track testing to determine the need for a spoiler and this was initially just tacked on. The GTO did have an advantage over the E-Type at the front end as well-front end lift was always a problem with the E-Type body, whereas the GTO had no problem at the front.


Well that sort of makes sense then. The E type had a tendency for front end lift which would presumably be exacerbated by tacking on a spoiler if the car was relatively stable at the back.

#56 David Birchall

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Posted 10 June 2013 - 21:58

By lowering his E Type quite dramatically and propping open the boot lid with side fences Adrian Newey seems to have found a way, within the rules, of improving the aerodynamics of the E Type. He seems to have addressed the problem at both ends.

Which is where we came in isn't it?

Edited by David Birchall, 10 June 2013 - 22:01.