By way of Winding Road, I found this site. . .* *
http://metacool.typepad.com/metacool...ts_on_a_c.html
The argument for a white roof is that it reflects more sunlight away from the car, thus reducing the need for A/C in the cabin.* Sounds logical. . .* *However, I'm not sure if anybody has crunched the numbers to show whether it really makes a significant difference.* My intuition is, probably not -- but I could be wrong.* Every little bit adds up.* (On Winding Road, somebody commented that if you really care about that, you'll just get a white car anyhow.)
I did find this first photo striking. . .
Can anybody identify what kind of car that is?
It's interesting because it has a lot of efficiency cues.* Not only the white roof, but also the fastback shape which reduces aerodynamic base drag, and the covered wheel wells, which again reduces drag.* I also note the lack of sharp creases or "accent llines" on the body which would disrupt air flow.* It's obviously an older car, and the proportions are all wrong by today's standards (and the rocket nozzles are hilarious), but it's a curious thing to see these old designs where they were putting more thought into efficiency than today's cars.
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