ATL_e92
09-10-2009, 03:22 AM
A car covered with cloth is something you would associate with the Flintstones, not the cutting edge of 21st century automotive design.
But BMW's latest concept car is exactly that - and it can change shape at the touch of a button.
The Gina - which at first glance looks like any other flashy sports car - is encased in fabric instead of metal panels.
Open the door and the slinky fabric creases and wrinkles like skin.
Turn on the headlights and the covers peel up like giant eyelids - designed to make the sporty roadster more aerodynamic.
And its seamless skin - a single piece of durable fabric - can be morphed at the flick of a switch to suit its owner's mood, offering an aggressive or classic look.
BMW's Christopher Bangle said: 'This revolutionary solution opens up new design and production potential.
'The outer skin can move and do things a metal skin couldn't do.'
The German car maker's pioneering vehicle is based on the chassis of a BMW Z8.
Its skin is made of a silver expansion-resistant textile which stretches across movable metal wires controlled by hydraulics. The Gina (Geometry and Functions In Adaptions) has no bonnet, roof or boot.
Instead, a single sheet of cloth is layered over its frame, cocooning the driver in the ultra-modern cabin.
Movable parts are controlled by hydraulics operated from a driver's console
'The high-precision fit of the material to the metal mesh also allows surface changes without slackening the tension,' a spokesman said.
'It has a major impact on the interaction between driver and car and enhances it by offering a variety of entirely new options.
if you want to watch a vid of it here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcdzwpVNF4
But BMW's latest concept car is exactly that - and it can change shape at the touch of a button.
The Gina - which at first glance looks like any other flashy sports car - is encased in fabric instead of metal panels.
Open the door and the slinky fabric creases and wrinkles like skin.
Turn on the headlights and the covers peel up like giant eyelids - designed to make the sporty roadster more aerodynamic.
And its seamless skin - a single piece of durable fabric - can be morphed at the flick of a switch to suit its owner's mood, offering an aggressive or classic look.
BMW's Christopher Bangle said: 'This revolutionary solution opens up new design and production potential.
'The outer skin can move and do things a metal skin couldn't do.'
The German car maker's pioneering vehicle is based on the chassis of a BMW Z8.
Its skin is made of a silver expansion-resistant textile which stretches across movable metal wires controlled by hydraulics. The Gina (Geometry and Functions In Adaptions) has no bonnet, roof or boot.
Instead, a single sheet of cloth is layered over its frame, cocooning the driver in the ultra-modern cabin.
Movable parts are controlled by hydraulics operated from a driver's console
'The high-precision fit of the material to the metal mesh also allows surface changes without slackening the tension,' a spokesman said.
'It has a major impact on the interaction between driver and car and enhances it by offering a variety of entirely new options.
if you want to watch a vid of it here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcdzwpVNF4