Catherham CT01 pics leaked

[steve nielsen]

thanks to F1 racing magazine for sending out their new mag 1 day early



https://twitter.com/#!/LookBackTime/...41926215266306

very strange nose indeed

[spider]

Weird looking car that. Still looks a little 'chunky' to me...hope they make the jump into the midfield this time around...

[Ingsy]

Haven't the regs changed regarding nose height this year? I seem to remember hearing something about it over the winter. I suspect a number of cars will have high noses this season.

Not sure about the 'step' where the suspension meets the chassis though...

[Bononi]

Ugly beast.

[barnettracing]

[bella]

oh bless. it's not really much of a looker, is it?

wonder what effect those horns will have on front wing and wheel visibility?

[barnettracing]

Originally Posted by bella

oh bless. it's not really much of a looker, is it?

wonder what effect those horns will have on front wing and wheel visibility?

Are they not at the same height as a 2011 nose though? I thought this trend we are going to see of cut-out front noses was to meet new 2012, low-nose regulations? Therefore, visibility should be the same.

[bella]

Originally Posted by barnettracing

Are they not at the same height as a 2011 nose though? I thought this trend we are going to see of cut-out front noses was to meet new 2012, low-nose regulations? Therefore, visibility should be the same.

that's true, fair play. it does seem to be in exactly the wrong place for visibility though

the back end is just a repainted red bull though. pity.

[Deleted]

The downhill continues, a few years ago the races might've been boring but at least the cars remained semi-good looking for the eye. Now races are dull and cars even duller, if possible! Horrendous

[gustavobamba]

OMG

[steve nielsen]

Catherham now also realeased 1 official pic



it was supposed to be a "teaser"

[Marbot]

The maximum nose height has been reduced from 625mm to 550mm for 2012. Looking at the new Caterham, that doesn't seem to have gone far enough in order to avoid some ugly solutions.

"3.7.9 No bodywork situated more than 1950mm forward of rear face of the cockpit entry template may be more than 550mm above the reference plane."

[ScotsBrutesFan]

I'n not sure that step is that severe ... it look like they have kept the height of the sides up at cockpit level all the way down to the suspension , but it appears to hollow out down to the centre. This I'd imagine would channel/scoop air up and over the cockpit.

Having said that I'm sure the join from the suspension area could have flowed down onto the nose could have been done in a much smoother fashion.

[Sodemo]

A new kind of ugly.

[GolddustMini]

wouldnt want to be on the bottom tier of a grandstand, think of the cascade of vomit caused by those vile noses.

yuck

what a horrid looking solution, surely they could have written the rule change better to prevent the teams just taking a plane to the top of the noses to step them down

[Marbot]

One day, F1 cars could look like this:



But the only way to get an F1 car to look like that would be to build the car as depicted in the picture, and not use a set of regulations.

In the meantime, it's function over form that wins the day.

Ferrari doesn't look that bad.

[b1ackcr0w]

Originally Posted by Marbot

One day, F1 cars could look like this:



But the only way to get an F1 car to look like that would be to build the car as depicted in the picture, and not use a set of regulations.nn

In the meantime, it's function over form that wins the day.

Ferrari doesn't look that bad.

Noticed how you see it from an angle that doesn't emphasize the nose? If even the Scuderia has given birth to a munter, we may spend the year wishing the grid girls were a bit fatter.

[andy666]

Originally Posted by Marbot

One day, F1 cars could look like this:



But the only way to get an F1 car to look like that would be to build the car as depicted in the picture, and not use a set of regulations.

In the meantime, it's function over form that wins the day.

Ferrari doesn't look that bad.

That top pic, the first thing that struck me was the low profile tyres, would that ever be possible ? looks great !!!!! Just seen the story on BBC sport F1 page , according to Gary Anderson the noses on all the cars could look similar to the Caterham , FUGLY !!!! I know the cars are not entering beauty contests but they dont need to look like a Platypus !! Bring back the nose off the 09 Brawn !!!

[Bononi]

It looks like the cars from the movie "Cars" just missing the eyes and the lips !

[Thundersports]

Looks like Caterham have given the driver a bench to sit on just before the front suspension..........F1 plummets to new depths in ugliness.

[nickyf1]

Looks fine to me. F1 cars never were supposed to look nice. I'ts just an aero device surely? The nose isn't part of the car, it's just a bolted on aero device.

F1 cars have always looked different. We've just grown accustomed to the ''typical'' single seater shape.

[TrapezeArtist]

The only ugly racing car is the one that's not fast enough.

[barnettracing]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

The only ugly racing car is the one that's not fast enough.

Well this is one of the 'new' teams. So we'll soon find out...

Although racing cars have never (and should never) been form over function, there is something brutally ugly about many new F1 cars. The 10ft+ wheelbase probably doesn't help.

For someone who has grown up entirely with these type of cars, I have never endeared to them or found them pretty. I've always been drawn to historics instead.

If you are interested in wings, get involved in aviation, in my opinion.

[Sodemo]

Certainly the long wheelbase doesn't help. For me, the best looking cars were the ones from 1990-1993. Short wheelbases, wide track, wide tyres, elegant looks. Awesome.

[barnettracing]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

Certainly the long wheelbase doesn't help. For me, the best looking cars were the ones from 1990-1993. Short wheelbases, wide track, wide tyres, elegant looks. Awesome.

There are too many. 1962 Lotus 25, 1965 BRM P261, 1973 Tyrrell 006, 1974 Brabham BT44, 1988 McLaren MP4/4, 1991 Jordan 191 or 1992 Williams FW14B. In any particular order and I couldn't cut them down to any fewer; I was born too late (1990).

But, I suppose that is for another thread. C.Scarborough has certainly mentioned that Mercedes-style wide, flat noses are going to be in vogue. The Ferrari doesn't look too bad but it is a drawing and from an angle that doesn't give a fair representation.

The Caterham nose rivals the Williams 'Walrus', March 711 and Eifelland for ugliest F1 front end ever, in my opinion.