The Fab & The Furious

Furious writes…

Looks like this car has been pulled off from iRobot, but better. BMW has unveiled its latest concept car: a shape-shifting vehicle wrapped in Lycra, with doors that unzip and a chassis that morphs according to the driver’s whim.

The car, dubbed GINA (Geometry and functions In ‘N’ Adaptions) has a frame made from moveable lightweight aluminium and it can seat two people.

The car’s body panels are enveloped in four sections of Lycra: one covering the bonnet, front wings and doors, another for the rear and two sections for the side panels.

But what really sets this car apart is it’s ability to change shape. Metal wires pin the flexible cover fabric to the car’s panels as hydraulic systems stretch and pull it in different directions.

The headlights, for example, are hidden until switched on, when the fabric at the front of the car prises apart on either side of the signature double-kidney grille to reveal the double lamps. Due to the translucent properties of the outer skin, brake lamps and turn signals are revealed only when they are illuminated.

Sadly, this hi-tech car isn’t going to the production line as was purely for show only.

It is in the nature of such visions that they do not necessarily claim to be suitable for series production. Rather, they are intended to steer creativity and research into new directions.

Tags: Adaptions, aluminium, BMW, car, concept car, double-kidney, Geometry, GINA, hi-tech, iRobot, Lycra