Quote:
Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask
Now let's argue about who pioneered 8 track tapes, beta, laser discs, and other ideas that were abandoned
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Sure, but the only difference is the manufacturers of those products don't go and issue 25th Anniversary spin pieces touting the development of a "new" construction techniques with use of "new" materials - that changed, or will change - the way similar products will be built in the future. Claims of new technologies sooooo advanced when they were released that even 25 years later no one (including the actual issuer of the spin piece) uses them.
To wit:
BMW didn't revive the roadster market - Mazda did. (BMW introduced the Z3 six years later than the Miata)
BMW didn't first-develop the automotive construction and type-design that utilized a monocoque frame (AKA "space-frame") with (i.e. including, as part of) an entire plastic body, which used plastic, removable, no load-bearing body panels. - GM did (see development and production dates, and pictures posted elsewhere in this thread).
And BMW points to the floor of the Z1 as being innovative as well:
"The second peculiarity of the Z1 bodyshell was the vehicle floor, which was bonded with the frame and partly bolted to it – and
made of plastic. In collaboration with specialists from MBB – now merged into EADS – the Z1 engineers had developed a material which combined low weight with high load-bearing capacity, was immune to corrosion, safe in a collision, and produced smooth underbody contours. The solution was a
combination of fibre-composite materials sandwiched together. The resulting structure of two layers of glass
fibre-reinforced epoxy resin with
polyurethane foam in between produced a floor assembly with a weight of just 15 kilograms".
In particular: "...structure of two layers of glass fibre-reinforced epoxy resin with polyurethane foam..." - This, gentlemen, is the basic construction technique and base material of surfboards. Polyurethane foam wrapped in fiberglass.
Granted, using a surfboard as the floor of a car was a unique application of the material, but I think this was probably driven more by cost considerations for the planned low-rate, low volume production of the Z1 rather than pure a pure engineering exercise. Had the Z1 been destined for high-rate production (dare I say it, such as the Fiero) BMW probably would have chosen a conventional metal floor pan, but the tooling costs for floor pans are one of the most expensive parts of car production, so for an 8,000 unit production run it was less-expensive to go with the surfboard-construction for the floor.
Have at it...