MOTORS TECHNOLOGYNew technology means your hair can look as good at the end of a journey as it did at the beginning, writes KYLE FORTUNE
I’VE NOT felt the wind in my hair for years, thanks to baldness and a set of clippers. I do remember how it feels, though, and I didn’t really like it – especially in a cabriolet. But Mercedes, as ever, has an answer. It’s called AIRCAP, and it’s being introduced on its new E-Class cabriolet.
It’s been in development for years, Mercedes-Benz’s aerodynamics people having looked at possible solutions since the 1980s. Back then, the results looked more like wings from an experimental F1 car, but it seems that, with the new E-Class cabriolet, Mercedes’ aero boffins have come up with a workable solution.
AIRCAP works by raising a small spoiler at the top of the windscreen, in conjunction with raising rear headrests between which a tiny net nestles.
The results are pretty spectacular, as a test session in Mercedes’ wind tunnel in Stuttgart reveals.
Without hair to test it properly, I used the ribbon from my Moleskin notepad. Without AIRCAP on, my improvised wind detector danced about like a drunken uncle at a wedding – erratically – yet pressing the button to raise the wind-cheating device sees it settle down and stop moving altogether.
It might look relatively simple, but it’s built from 211 components in 44 different materials, has around 20 patents applied to it, has undergone over 10,000 test cycles and has been honed for around 3,000 hours in the wind tunnel. It is able to be raised at speeds of up to 160km/h (the hood itself able to be lowered and raised at up to 40km/h) and is effective up to 260km/h.
Dr Teddy Woll, Mercedes-Benz senior manager of aerodynamics and wind tunnels, is justifiably proud of it. However, the E-Class’s designer admits that, while he admires its function, he’s not quite so sold on the look with it raised.
There’s no denying that it does look rather odd which, given cabriolets are bought primarily for looks, does leave image-conscious buyers with something of a dilemma.
AIRCAP up and your hair as you left the house, or down and a tousled mop and good looks on the move? Or, of course, you could just invest in a set of clippers . . .
