Rotodama Rediscovery

[daveturnbull]

I've seen this floating about on a few social media platforms recently.

It's basically a series 1 discovery with a new body. They say it will come in multiple formats: single cab, double cab, van and camper.

I quite like the idea (I have a soft spot for forward controls), but I do think it could look better, especially from the front.

 

[Gazzar]

Agreed, on both counts.

 

It is strange, but as I get older I start to understand why designers do have a place in society.

 

Plus, I look at the llama project and this fails dismally in comparison.

 

http://www.dunsfoldcollection.co.uk/collection/concept/land-rover-llama-v8-prototype-1

 

Damn, that's a NICE truck.

[FridgeFreezer]

Looks like a terrible photoshop to me.

Also surely D1's are so crusty by now no-one's seriously going to build a commercial out of them? Mind you, D2's are old and crusty now too and D3's are well obsolete...

[western]

the cab frame is also a rollcage if I read the reports properly, all the panels are simple to replace flat panels attached to cab frame.

[jeremy996]

It looks similar to the OX flatpack truck:

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/worlds-first-flat-pack-truck-shell-commissions-prototype-india-trip

That is a Gordon Murray design, so I guess this design stuff is hard.

[landroversforever]

I was chatting to the two behind it at the Bicester event the other week. They mentioned that its the first one they've built and that the front was one of the things they are definitely changing. 

I quite like it, it's nice to see something to make a discovery into something else other than the usual defender shaped thing or a trayback comp truck! Sat in it and there's a surprising amount of space for someone of my size and 6'3" height. 

[ballcock]

It's an idea I have frequently thought about. I have always thought a forward control would be ideal on the 100" chassis. I have wondered if an old Mitsubishi cab would fit the bill. Other than the front styling I think that looks quite a good project.

[daveturnbull]

13 hours ago, ballcock said:

I have wondered if an old Mitsubishi cab would fit the bill.

Now that's a sensible idea. Lash together the non-fubared bits of an old discovery and an old builders pickup truck. I'm all for recycling old vehicles into something more usable, without throwing away and buying huge new chunks.

[FridgeFreezer]

1 hour ago, daveturnbull said:

Now that's a sensible idea. Lash together the non-fubared bits of an old discovery and an old builders pickup truck. I'm all for recycling old vehicles into something more usable, without throwing away and buying huge new chunks.

I'm curious as to what you'd make out of an old Disco and an old builder's truck that wouldn't be better served by just using the Disco or the builder's truck complete?

[daveturnbull]

Simple, a vehicle for getting large loads of logs out of a (privately owned and carefully managed) forest.

[miketomcat]

A camper version might be more viable as the only market I can see for it at present is tree surgeon. But I do quite like it styling aside.

Mike

[Eightpot]

That's a great idea - I've scrapped lots of Discoveries just for engine conversions,  the bodies are generally well past saving but pretty much without exception the chassis and running gear are tip top. A camper bodied version would work very well. 

[Tanuki]

I'm definitely not a fan of forward-control vehicles: frontal impact-protection for the driver is minimal [Crumple-zones? What crumple-zones?] and the pitching effect due to sitting in front of/above the front wheels rather than within the wheelbase can be profoundly nausea-inducing on some surfaces (this could easily be tuned-out if intelligent air-suspension was used).

Pedestrian-safety would look to be a major issue too (this is always a problem with flat-fronts: pedestrians tend to splat-and-go-under the things rather than being lifted/deflected clear of the wheels as is the intent for most 'low front' safety-design these last few decades)

It'd be really interesting seeing how they'd get that design through SVA/IVA. It looks about as aerodynamic as a grand piano, too - so expect significantly-worse fuel-consumption than an old Disco would achieve unmodified.

The only place where cab-over-engine vehicles still seem to rule the roost is in those jurisdictions where there is a construction&use restriction or tax-constraint on overall vehicle-length.

See http://extras.springer.com/2009/978-3-642-44355-8/papers/0041/00410469.pdf

[FridgeFreezer]

Don't know what you mean about safety...

 

 

[martyn668]

That VW is scary. 

[miketomcat]

That would go through IVA with no problem. Design/crumple zones are not considered provided the exterior projections meet the regs and the structure/seat belt mounts are up to the job.

Mike 

[Happyoldgit]

From the front it looks as though it should be towing a string of little carriages full of screaming kids around a run down holiday camp. Hi De Hi!

[ballcock]

4 hours ago, Tanuki said:

It'd be really interesting seeing how they'd get that design through SVA/IVA. It looks about as aerodynamic as a grand piano, too - so expect significantly-worse fuel-consumption than an old Disco would achieve unmodified.

 

It would not need an IVA if it has no chassis mods and uses all the original running gear as far as I am aware.

[FridgeFreezer]

14 hours ago, martyn668 said:

That VW is scary. 

In fairness it was apparently a test of a new crash-testing facility so they loaded it up to the max, but yeah, I never really fancied having an accident in one of those or their brethren.

[Bowie69]

13 hours ago, ballcock said:

It would not need an IVA if it has no chassis mods and uses all the original running gear as far as I am aware.

Indeed, just a body swap. And as Mike says, crumple zones are not in the IVA at all, so even if you voluntarily put yourself through one, it would pass with a body style like that as long as the projections were all in order.

That VW is a scary, but then it has its whole drivetrain ploughing it into the wall from behind, its load bay, and then add in a few decades of rust.... well there's the result.

[Arjan]

Forward Control is very much in demand.

The llama project really had potential, that cab was really, really good. So good, many "Defenders" have a "Tilting cab not locked in place" warning light in their cluster...

I had a DAF45 for many years and once you're used to having something like that around, you really don't want to go back to trailers..

[Cynic-al]

As a kit car maybe, they can't produce it in any volume without doing the safety checks surely?

I doubt a company would buy anything like that, you can already get a huge range of off the shelf pickups, 4x4 sprinters, ivecos etc etc. A DIY person might for pottering around their land... like a shooting bus etc, but then again if they can build the kit car they could probably build a box frame and stick some alloy panels on it too? There is a show every year where you can go offroading in vans etc but I can't think what it's called now, never managed to make it down. Something like drive it

 

 

[Blanco]

I regret the Llama as well, ..........I have a 130 pick up and while it is useful, a 100 inch discovery like that would be that much handier to drive around, with the same size load area (OK payload would be reduced).

I also had an Iveco 40.10 4x4,  early 90's great machine, but quite a bit bigger. They are making them again but they are rare as rocking horse 'crottins' and accordingly way out of most peoples budget.

I think for many of us the attraction of known mechanicals with someone else working out the awkward detail of the forward control steering and driving position would have some appeal, it does for me. Granted the current cab looks a bit crude and maybe a bit cramped but I would like to see Mk2.

[Daan]

Camper is the first thing that came to mind. Do we have a price for the kit? Problem for this kind of thing is the huge amount of work and money involved to build it, while mechanically it already has gone round the clock once - at least. You can buy a decent transit for 5k on ebay that just works. A real land rover enthusiast probably wouldn't buy it as it doesn't look like a land rover. So who would buy it?

Daan

[daveturnbull]

So they released the prices for the pickup cab 'kit' 

Quote

the maximum purchase price of a ready-to-fit cab kit will be £11,250 ex-VAT.

and 

Quote

For a remanufactured vehicle configured as a drop-side flat-bed the price will be a maximum of £24,000 ex-VAT.

Err....