Archive for the ‘reduce reuse recycle’ tag

Cars of Futures Past – Porsche FLA Long Life Study

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Porsche’s 1973 FLA study. Photo courtesy Porsche AG.

In the early 1970s, the environmental movement was gaining traction the world over. After decades of indifference, industrial manufacturers (including automakers) were forced to face the fact that the planet’s supply of raw materials, clean air and clean water was not endless. A 1972 report from Italian think tank The Club of Rome, entitled The Limits to Growth, speculated that the automobile would be obsolete in the 21st century, rendered so by a lack of raw materials to build and fuel them. In response to this looming crisis, Porsche created the 1973 Forschungsprojekt Langzeit Auto (research project long life automobile, or FLA for short) to determine if such a vehicle was economically feasible to ensure the future of motoring.

The first goal of the team was to design and construct a vehicle that could survive as long as three decades, even in the harshest of environments. Such a vehicle would need to have a highly corrosion-resistant body, and would need to come with a relatively low-performance (and thus, low-stress) engine, ensuring that even modest upkeep would deliver payback in the form of extended durability. To meet these criteria, Porsche opted to build the FLA with a “rustproof” steel chassis, wrapped in aluminum bodywork (although a stainless steel skin, like the De Lorean DMC-12, was also reportedly considered). Power would come from a 2.5-liter six-cylinder engine, rated at a relatively benign 75 horsepower and shifting through a three-speed automatic gearbox.

Porsche’s logic behind such decisions was sound. Metal structural or body components, whether built of steel or aluminum, were far easier to recycle in 1973 than body panels made from plastic. The six-cylinder engine was constructed to reach maximum output at a relaxed 3,500 RPM, and internals were, by all accounts of the day, overbuilt to the extreme. The cooling system was specially designed to allow the FLA to reach operating temperature quickly, and air and oil filtration systems were engineered specifically to reduce engine wear. The transmission, fitted with a “wear proof” torque converter, was designed to eliminate the variable of human error and provide hundreds of thousands of miles of trouble-free, if uninspired, performance. While 75 horsepower likely wouldn’t have taxed the FLA’s half shafts, the automaker took no chances here, constructing them from corrosion-proof steel and then sealing them from the elements.

Even the car’s wiring and electronics were engineered for long life and easy replacement. Wiring harnesses were split into multiple looms by system, allowing ease of replacement (or upgrade, if required). A contact-free ignition system was specified, and precious metal was used to ensure corrosion-proof contact at critical junctures, such as between leads and spark plugs. Though not specified, it’s likely that Porsche would have designed switchgear to be longer in life as well, allowing for easy replacement should switch failure ever become an issue.

Its shape was more Volkswagen than Porsche, as the FLA skeleton revealed at the 1973 Frankfurt Auto Show sported a sensible hatchback layout not dissimilar to the Mark III Golf (which wouldn’t debut until 1993). Despite its rear-engine design, nothing about the FLA personified performance or handling, both long the hallmark of Porsche’s road-car offerings. It wasn’t particularly stylish for Porsche, either, although its designers may have been able to enhance an aluminum body more than the naked steel framework would indicate.

The FLA project never advanced to that level, as the automaker quickly realized that such a long-life car would need to carry a price tag disproportionate with its performance and handling. Worse, such a car would be largely excluded from leaps in technology, forcing its owner to pay a premium for a car that was, potentially, a decade or two behind current models in performance, safety and amenities. Porsche tried to sell the FLA design study research to other automakers, but there was little interest in the unprofitable project, which was quietly ended and tucked away in a corner of Porsche’s museum.

While the FLA never proceeded beyond the theoretical stage, it did foreshadow a world where virtually every component of a modern automobile is built of recyclable (or even recycled) material. Modern automobiles are (arguably) more corrosion-resistant than models of the past, and even processes like painting have a greatly reduced environmental footprint compared to techniques of the early 1970s. Many modern automotive systems are more trouble-free as well, as demonstrated by the fact that consumers are holding on to automobiles longer than at any time in the past.

Though the Porsche FLA never saw production, it did predict with relative accuracy the state of contemporary automotive design. In that regard, perhaps the FLA was one of Zuffenhausen’s most successful models.

There’s a coupe joke in this, I’m sure…

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When you think about it, older cars could make for perfect chicken coops – their floors are usually rusted out, they’re repositionable as long as their brakes aren’t frozen, and they already have doors. Just add a ramp and you’re all set. At least, that was Michael Thompson’s thinking behind turning a Morris Minor 1000 Traveler (at least, the back half of one) into a backyard coop. (via)

Four wheels to two

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What happens to old cars that wind up in junkyards? Some of them get scavenged for parts to restore other cars; some that are too far gone get sent to the crusher. Those in between, at least in Spain, may now get a new lease on life with two wheels instead of four. Spanish design studio Lola Lowe Madrid has started Bicycled, a company producing new, handmade bicycles from old car parts. The frames are made from recycled metal and the seats upholstered from car interior materials, while the reflectors come from turn signals. The company claims to be making the drive belt out of old transmission belts, but some people have pointed out that this would make for a lousy-riding bike. We’ll see…