Quote:
Originally Posted by himbo
Just thought we might have some creative suggestions from people with engineering backgrounds. I do think the car is pretty light for all the standards it needs to comply with. I'm willing to bet there are things that people thought could be lighter- and I was just curious.
I figured a rear seat delete option would have been neat. I know some people utilize it, but for me, I think I must have only used the rear seats 3 times since purchasing the car. It could even be a dealer option so insurance companies could still classify the car as a 2+2.
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Yeah but that doesn't really require any engineering. Bottom line is Cheap, Light, Strong. Pick 2.
I could have gone with even less bells & whistles but gains from things like manual windows and locks aren't all that great any more. They went back to a good formula used with the original 240Z. It started out really light because they went super thin with all the sheet metal. Compared to any other car of this day, it's a beer can. The engineering really came into play with how they focused on the whole package as a structural system and came out swinging. It's amazingly rigid given the material thickness.
edit: And just like a beer can, it's engineered to optimize for specific goals/requirements. As Snooze says, "Everything's a compromise."