development of the ducktail

[HughH]

Most of us will be aware of the fact that in July 1972 at the Osterreichring 1000Kms Strahle ran a car in prototype class, crewed by factory mechanics, and obviously as a part of a factory effort, which was effectively a prototype RSR. The picture of the experimental tail has been posted on a number of threads but is posted here again for reference.

Given that this was July 1972, it was after the first 4 or 5 RS's were completed but before series production got properly underway.

The RS book documents a lot of wind tunnel testing of different front and rear spoiler arrangements on an ST in 1970 to reduce lift and air resistance and again more in March and May 1972 with different versions of front and rear spoilers. (Indeed wind tunnel testing continued right through the life of the RS resulting in the "Mary Stuart" tails on the 1973 Le Mans entries following wind tunnel tests on them in June 1973 and practical tests on the Martini cars at the 1973 Monza event and the Targa Florio that year)

What I was unaware of, until Jim Calzia and Nikolay Karazlatev showed me recently, was that in one of Brian Long's books he quotes Denis Jenkinson from late 1972 about the Strahle car at the Osterreichring testing two different rear spoiler arrangements. (see extract in picture).

I have found a video of that race and captured a couple of shots of the rear of the car with the "other" spoiler which is IN FRONT of the engine grill.

Obviously that arrangement did not work out in practice and we got the ducktail behind the grill.

However it, and the recent thread covering the front spoiler and central oil cooler arrangements in the ST's, set me thinking as to whether there is documentary evidence of other aerodynamic evolution out there that has not really been noticed.

If there is I am certain that this forum is the place to dig it out and document it