Using Sketchup components of a Caterham 7 posted to the internet by “terradog”, the nose and fenders were borrowed and rescaled to quickly create (very) rough renders of what Midlana will look like. And yes, I am partial to the burnt-orange color that’s been appearing on new cars.
There is some discussion about how to style the curved back panel. Thoughts are: nothing (no cover), painted aluminum mesh, aero shaped louvers, an aluminum panel with many punched louvers, or a more traditional Locost back end (thanks to Dean again for bouncing these ideas around.) Regardless what is used, good air flow is key. If there’s no clear styling winner then all will be presented in the book and builders pick their favorite – variations are encouraged!
The CAD chassis has been sent to a generous reader to run it through an FEA analysis. The results will only be approximate since stiffening by the attached panels isn’t being taken into account, but it should give a good idea if additional triangulation’s needed. It also has the benefit of not counting on the panels to be structural. One feature not dealt with yet are the side air inlets just forward of the rear fenders.