Zero To Hero: How SOLIDWORKS Is Helping Great British Sports Cars Onto The Podium
Think great British sports cars and what comes to mind? The elegance of the Jaguar E-Type? The understated class of the Aston Martin DB5? For many, it’s Patrick McGoohan pelting along the London streets in the beautifully menacing Lotus Seven, about to make an unscheduled trip to the most sinister village in television history.
The magnificent Seven
Understanding Britain’s esteemed motoring history more than most, Great British Sports Cars are a hugely successful team of vintage kit car manufacturers. They have an unrivaled passion for sports cars matched only by their expertise in engineering and design. Their popular and sought-after model, the Zero, is a take on the Lotus Seven, with modern sensibilities.
Building a car with the idiosyncratic charm and character of a classic model, combined with the contemporary demands of the modern driver and current technology, was no easy Sunday drive for the team. The classic second generation Lotus Seven of the 1960s was built for the time in which it was made, which meant somewhat cozy conditions for both driver and passenger.
Key considerations about the build included expanding interior capacity, widening the chassis and distributing the weight better. Audacious concept meets practical reality. Luckily, GBS were able to combine their top engineering skills and experience with SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD to produce a swift and accurate build whilst saving time and money.
How did SOLIDWORKS help?
Once the car was designed in SOLIDWORKS, in its entirety, the engineers could test and adapt every measurement and specification, literally down to the last nut and bolt of the proposed build. Previously all had been physical trial-and-error affairs, relying on the availability of materials, with lots of potential for waste.
With SOLIDWORKS’ intuitive ability to simulate material properties and parts to pinpoint accuracy, the team was able to test economically and precisely. Plus, common parts such as shock absorbers could be easily replicated and adjusted as required across the vehicle.
Highway to heaven
Great British Sports Car’s Zero is a smartly designed piece of automotive kit. Bringing in SOLIDWORKS enabled the finessing and strengthening of the vehicle as the project took shape: a tighter chassis and better weight distribution were improvements made possible with the CAD software in place.
As a high-end model for serious petrol heads, the Zero can be bought to specific requirements by the new owner. With the 3D designs and full build blueprints on the SOLIDWORKS platform, Great British Sports Cars are able to modify and test for slight variations to suit the demands of the customer.
The GBS team are now seeking to invest in SOLIDWORKS Composer, which uses SOLIDWORKS CAD data to enable more effective technical communication to the end user. In fact, GBS has been so impressed with SOLIDWORKS that it has become part of their long-term business plan and a foundation for the company going forward.
The Zero is a hugely popular and well-respected take on a timeless design. We’re happy to have helped it achieve top gear.
Want to find out more? Check out the original Cadtek article here.
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