On 19 Oct 2007 at 20:37,
[email protected] wrote:
> No the steering isn't cable driven. It's hydraulic.
Sorry, I was sure I remembered the Tropica steering being cable
operated.
Ah, here it is! That's what Car and Drver reported when they tested
the
Tropica prototype in the March, 1994 issue. I transcribed the piece
for the
EVDL back then, and believe it or not I still have the text (though it
took
a pretty exhaustive search of my oldest archives to find it). Here's
what it
says :
"To go along with the Tropica's exotic looks are several clever
features,
such as a fixed driver's seat with adjustable pedals, and cable
actuated
steering. In place of a conventional steering column, the Tropica
mounts a
lightweight rack and pinion gear just behind the dash. A heavy duty
marine
steering cable is used to connect this rack to a slave rack up front
that
turns the wheels. The doors and passive restraints were not functional
on
our fiberglass-bodied prototype. Production cars will use lighter
vacuum-
formed ABS plastic."
But, it turns out that the cable steering did indeed give way to
hydraulic
by the time Renaissance Cars assembled their first few proof-of-concept
cars. (By that time the appearance had changed quite a bit, too.) I
found
an EVDL post from Shannon Cash, dated 2 Nov 1994, with the
then-current
status of the Tropica. It included this statement :
STANDARD SAFETY EQUIPMENT:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
* Stainless steel safety roll-bar * Main power disconnect switch
* Non-lock, zero drag 4 wheel disc brakes * 3 point passive
restraint system * Impact resistance polymer bumpers * Energy
absorbing safety side door beams * Front/rear anti-sway bars *
Hydraulic columnless steering * Permanently attached occupant
seating * NOTE: The entire TROPICA line of electric vehicles will
meet or exceed all applicable federal crash worthiness standards.
= = = = =
So, assuming you have one of the few pre-production prototypes that
were
built, that would explain the hydraulic steering.
PS - If you'd like to read the complete text of the 1994 Car and Drver
article, I've posted it in the EVDL Library. Sorry, I didn't have a
scanner
in those days, so I wasn't able to scan the photos. I wish I had,
because
the prototype looked quite a bit different from the pre-production cars
-
not at all like a 'Vette, more like a Cobra. To my eyes the prototype
was
more attractive than the later version, but probably most people would
prefer the 'Vette look.
I probably still have the original copy of the magazine somewhere, so
maybe
someday I'll find it and add those too. For now, the text will have to
do.
http://evdl.org/docs/tropica_cd.pdf
David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA
EVDL Administrator
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