Re: alfa-digest V8 #1219

[Will Owen <nashwill912@domain.elided>]

George Graves wrote:

> Don't forget that the Elan had that super-stiff "double Y" member
> backbone chassis....
> The fiberglass body just hung off the chassis and carried no stress or
> weight, save it's own.

I don't think that's exactly it. If I remember correctly, one of the biggest difficulties about installing a new chassis frame on an Elan is the fact that the body is bonded to it, which would
probably not be the case if said body weren't expected to contribute some stiffness. I also know this: Chapman was stubbornly sure that the GRP monocoque structure that worked so well in the
Elite could be made to work in an open car, and his engineers did their best. They got it stiff, but not THAT stiff. Then one of them had the bright idea of taking all the metal-reinforced
mounting points and the steel subframes and just sort of, you know, assembling them as a handy one-piece structure, to which Colin's beloved "monocoque" could then be mounted. Of course
everyone, Chapman included, saw through the ploy, but it worked for him as a face-saving gesture. Besides, it was (is) such a lovely, elegant piece of work that has served as inspiration for
several other cars, including all the subsequent road-going Loti.

There have been many times I've wished it had inspired the designers of the 116 chassis, who also had an older prototype of their own (the article I have calls it a Disco Volante, but J.
Hertzman told me otherwise...John?) with a backbone frame and deDion axle. Of course such a frame would have encroached more into the cabin space, but I'm sure it would've helped keep the shift
linkage straighter and the whole mess stiffer. My opinion, of course, and one with which possibly smarter heads than mine have disagreed...

Will Owen
'87 Milano (I love it anyway)
'71 Citroen DS21 Pallas (now THAT'S a weird car)
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