Pininfarina Sintesi Concept
A plug-in electric car that will be ready for sale by 2010 in Europe, Japan and the U.S.
By Matthias Pfannmüller

[/align][/align]Legendary Italian design firm Pininfarina has formed a joint-venture with the French Bolloré Group, a major battery producer, to build a plug-in hybrid fuel-cell car that will be ready for sale by 2010 in Europe, Japan and the U.S.

Called Sintesi, the concept offers four seats, four doors and stunning looks in the best Italian tradition. The sleek body has a drag coefficient of just 0.27. Pininfarina said it took a different approach to design that has grown out of the flexible packaging afforded by the electric powertrain. Rather than designing the body around the mechanicals, it has shaped the drivetrain around the passengers. This approach is called “liquid packaging,” which frees the car from traditional shapes, improves weight distribution and lowers the center of gravity.

The various components are distributed around the car, including the lithium-ion batteries and four fuel- cell electric motors positioned near each wheel. The car promises acceleration of 4.8 seconds to 31 mph and a top speed of over 80 mph, according to the makers. City range is claimed to be more than 150 miles, with a full recharge time of five hours; but, if you need only 15 miles of range, just five minutes of charging is needed.

 

Fioravanti Hidra Concept
The novelty of the Hidra, however, is its windshield wiperless glass area.
By Matt DeLorenzo

[/align][/align]It’s been 20 years since Leonardo Fioravanti left Pininfarina to set up his own design house, so to commemorate the anniversary, he has created the futuristic Hidra concept, a sleek 2-box 5-door study.

Similar in appearance to last year’s Thalia, the Hidra, like most Fioravanti concepts, is designed to showcase a particular technology and not necessarily something found under the hood. The company says simply that the Hidra could be powered by any combination of hybrid powertrains. Indeed, the concept’s spacious cabin and traditional layout could accommodate either existing gasoline/electric combos or future fuel-cell systems.

The novelty of the Hidra, however, is its windshield wiperless glass area. According to Fioravanti, the concept uses a combination of aerodynamics and a special coating to keep the glass surfaces clean. The windows on the car are coated with a special substance that includes “nano dust,” which pushes dirt and water outward to the edges of the glass. When the vehicle reaches a certain speed, this material is blown off the car. The coating also protects the vehicle’s interior from harmful ultraviolet rays that can damage plastic dash surfaces and upholstery. Fioravanti predicts that the coating could be commercially viable within five years.

 

Italdesign Giugiaro Quaranta
The idea was to create an extreme, but ecological, four-wheel drive supercar.
By Matt DeLorenzo

[/align][/align]Quaranta is Italian for 40 and the name of this innovative concept car from ItalDesign Giugiaro, which was built to commemorate Giorgetto Giugiaro’s 40th year of auto design.

It is the first concept car to incorporate Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive in a mid-engine layout. The idea was to create an extreme, but ecological, 4-wheel-drive supercar with a cabin big enough to accommodate three adults plus an infant.

The midship packaging of the hybrid powertrain enabled Giugiaro to create a one-volume, sleek silhouette shape, which is also critical to minimizing aerodynamic drag. In addition to the slick shape of the vehicle itself, the Quaranta incorporates rear aerodynamic flaps inspired by Formula 1. According to Italdesign, this low wind resistance enables the car to reach a top speed of 155 mph and to accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.0 seconds.

The Quaranta is not simply a design exercise, but rather a way of showcasing the many talents of Italdesign Giugiaro. In addition to developing exterior and interior car designs, the Italian firm offers engineering services for chassis, mechanicals and bodywork, as well as research of the latest in automotive technology, as evidenced by the use of a solar panels to provide additional energy for the hybrid powerplant.

 

Magna Steyr MILA Alpin Concept
This box-on-wheels looks as if it’s straight out of Star Wars.
By Matt DeLorenzo

[/align][/align]Austria-based Magna Steyr has been building a variety of vehicles for established manufacturers from its Graz, Austria, factory and is most noted for its expertise in building SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen and BMW’s X3. In fact, it has been tapped by Mini to build a crossover version of its new Clubman.

Magna has decided to showcase its talent at Geneva by offering the next in a series of MILA (Magna Innovation Lightweight Auto) concepts, the Alpin. This box-on-wheels looks as if it’s straight out of Star Wars and is designed to function as a utility or recreational vehicle primarily geared to off-road use. With wheels positioned out at the corners and a high ground clearance, the Alpin is prepared for both light trail runnings or low-speed rock climbing. The lightweight, all-wheel-drive Alpin is capable of handling 45-degree inclines, and despite its seemingly tall profile, has a low center of gravity thanks to the mid-engine layout. The concept is designed to accept either a small hybrid powerplant or a CNG-fueled supercharged engine.

Inside, the Alpin features unique 3+1 seating and a large, panoramic glass roof. Magna designed the vehicle to be assembled from modules, which reduces manufacturing costs. The frame itself consists of straight sections made of composite materials to further reduce weight.

 

Rinspeed sQuba Concept
A car underwater.
By Mike Monticello

[/align][/align]Swiss car designer Frank M. Rinderknecht has a fascination with the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, wherein James Bond’s Lotus Esprit was able to drive underwater. In that vein, Rinderknecht’s latest Rinspeed creation is a Lotus Elise converted into “the world’s first real submersible car,” according to the company. The conversion was largely performed by Swiss engineering specialist Esoro.

The mid-mounted combustion engine of the Elise was replaced by three electric motors (powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries)—one provides propulsion on land, the other two drive the screws for navigating the underworld; two Seabob jet drives are located up front, which breathe through special rotating louvers to open and close the water intake. All of which make the sQuba a zero-emissions vehicle.

When driving on land, the sQuba’s stainless coil-over suspension by KW automotive and large Pirelli tires on custom wheels from AEZ should provide better handling than your typical amphibious vehicle.

The sQuba is functional to a depth of 10 meters, but for safety reasons as the car submerges, the interior (done up by Strähle and Hess to be saltwater resistant, with mother-of-pearl trim and diamond-plated, non-slip inlays from KGS Diamond) gets filled with water. In scuba-diving fashion, an onboard tank of compressed air provides oxygen for the occupants. Bathing suits (or water-resistant clothes) recommended.

 

[align=center][/align][align=center][:-]Makes `Space HomeSick I use to drive one like that on my former Planet [:-][/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Thanks, GP `Dave 4 `Sharing : )[/align][align=center]I could use something like that to get to some isolated beaches.[/align][align=center]I could see some SurfBoard on the top : )[/align]

 

I don't want a car that can go under water ... I want a nice little car that I can FLY!

 

hISTORY OF THE FLYING CAR
Roadable Aircraft History







In the last 100 years there have been more than 70 attempts to develop a successful Flying Car ' clearly the concept has been enduringly attractive. Very few attempts have met with any technical success, however, and those that actually worked to any extent had poor performance as a car or a plane ' or both.

The difficulties of designing a successful Flying Car are enormous. The design requirements of a ground vehicle are so different to those of an airplane, that the task of trying to marry the two sets of requirements together into one craft presents many challenges.

An analysis of the history shows that most designs compromise the road vehicle mode in order to provide a flyable aircraft. These vehicles generally have an impractical shape and size, making them unable to fit in with other road traffic. Many have unsafe design concepts like exposed control surfaces and avionics sensors ' some even propose using a propeller for propulsion on the road!

Several other designs compromise the aircraft mode. This invariably results in an impractical flying machine that cannot achieve desirable, or even acceptable flight characteristics ' the most common problem being that of insufficient wing area.

Some designs proposes the use of powered lift to give vertical take off and landing (VTOL) capability. With the exponential increase in complexity and power requirement of a VTOL craft, it is not surprising that all attempts of this kind of craft have failed. Even though many SciFi movies show cars, without wings, hovering and flying, they require 'antigravity' and 'zero thrust propulsion' to work ' it is never going to be a practical proposition with aviation technology. For safety reasons alone, aircraft operations must be separated from the general public. VTOL aircraft must operate out of airfields like other airplanes and, therefore, are left with the same problem as conventional aircraft.

Because of the technical difficulties inherent in the Flying Car concept, some designers have 'fudged' certain engineering aspects in order to make it at least 'look like' they have solved the problems. As a result, there are some designs that feature impossible arrangements, like serious structural interferences ' even telescoping elements that are all the same size.
Last, almost all of the designs failed to match the aesthetic expectations of a sophisticated consumer. This point is not to be easily dismissed, even though form must of necessity follow function, there are enumerable design choices along the way. In the end, a design that looks right is usually a design that works right ' making aesthetic sensibilities a valid measure of worth.

The history of the flying car is of course still being written. Technology is advancing and there are options available to modern designers that did not exist in the past and, apart from Skyblazer, there are at least five such projects currently being attempted. Each of these designs is worthy of critical examination. For more information ypu may visit some interesting sites by going to the Links page.

 

[sm=alien.gif] Yes I agree, but first you have to sell your earth ride.[sm=alien.gif]

 

I've got to get me some of that 'nano dust' for my windows, they are always the first thing that I notice to get dirty... Underwater could be fun, but I just hate the thought of filling a car with water, even if it's supposed to be fine.