The Origins of Wedge Car Design

43 After his stint at Lockheed, Erberts made the move to full time work as an artist. Subsequently, Eberts has been recognized as an automotive fine artist and for founding the Automotive Fine Arts Society. His work has been a regular feature at both the Pebble Beach and Amelia Island Concours. From a design perspective, the Ocelot has design lines that are similar to the transitional cars of Exner Jr, Brock and Adams, in the pathway to pure wedge car design. There is a clear direction in a shape that the designer could imagine cutting through, or piercing, frontal air resistance. The reality of actual aerodynamic benefit was untested, but the artistry had the “arrow tip” in subtle form. In building the car, a Corvette chassis was used for the mechanical underpinnings. Given the students budget, this was a relatively high-tech solution at the time. Such a chassis and suspension, combined with a body short in height, invariably restricts the designer to a ride height that is a little high. Never the less, the design was exciting and noteworthy as a stepping stone in the wedge car story. In 2020, Ken Eberts manage to buy back his car after it was found by Geoff Hacker. Ken is currently restoring the car in California. Upper Photo: Ebert’s Original Rendering of the Ocelot Lower Photo: Ebert Next To The Buck From Which The Molds Were Taken

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