Talking of Sunbeam makes me wonder about the later Silver Bullet. Would not its wheel covers and partial spats have produced similar crosswind problems as the Black Hawk Special?
The wheel covers and fixed 'air smoothers' behind the wheels, they didn't move with the wheels, were the least of
the
Bullet's problems.
Full wheel covers were used on Campbell's
Bluebirds and the Irving-Napier Special aka
Golden Arrow,
and I've read anything about them causing issues, ditto the side 'pods' of the latter.
Part of the problem on the Lockhart car is that the spats are rigidly mounted to the suspension, they move up
and down with the suspension arms and the front ones turn with the wheels. Frankly, the Weisel's design was
over complicated and questionable on many levels.
Going back to Frank's original envelope-body concept, he was going to use two Miller 91s driving straight back
to the rear axle like Duesenberg Milton. The push to the Weisel's design is why the V-16 came about.
Evidently Frank had originally considered making his runs at Muroc Dry Lake in California, which isn't surprising
as he was raised in Southern California and got his start in racing on the West Coast circuit.
There's a what-if notion for ya: twin-Miller 91s, envelope body and the LSR set, and later defended, at Muroc.
No squirrelly slender car, no wet sand and no fatality.
As an aside Frank's former racing technical partner Olson parted ways with Frank over the LSR project, he wanted
Frank to go to Monza for the 1927 Italian Grand Prix, evidently he felt Frank's skills meant he could contend in Grand
Prix racing.
Hmmm ...