Take a good look, BMW fans, because what you see below is the radical concept car which will continue to shape future models such as the soon-to-be-launched X1 mini-SUV. The car, called the GINA Light Visionary Model, is a revolutionary fabric-skinned sports car concept. And, according to desires, to conditions or speeds it can change its shape radically and quickly. Radical it may be, but amazingly the concept dates from as early as 2001. BMW’s design chief Chris Bangle though claims it was the first fruit of years of work by BMW Design teams to cater for what they see as buyer demands in 10 years’ time.
Built on the now defunct Z8 roadster, the concept was conceived to show it may be possible one day for owners to be able to choose from a variety of outer shapes and functions offered around one broad mechanical envelope.
The GINA roadster designers also believe the car’s enhanced adaptability is a way of enticing more young people to car buying – a sector of the market which is increasingly choosing not to run a car.
The GINA roadster’s flexible, stretchable fabric skin is a man-made product that resists water, high or low temperatures and doesn’t swell or shrink. The essential shapes are formed beneath the skin by a metal wire structure, though at points where movement is needed (ducts, door openings, spoiler) flexible carbon struts are used. Though the GINA’s skin appears seamless, it can, for instance, “grow” a higher rear spoiler for stability at high speed. The doors are each covered by a fabric piece reaching all the way from the nose of the car to their trailing edge. When closed, they leave a perfectly smooth stretched surface.
But the cleverness continues inside where, when the car is parked, the car’s steering wheel and array of round instruments sit in an ‘idle’ position on the centre console to allow the driver easy entry. When the driver presses the simple ‘Start’ button, the steering wheel and instruments assume their correct positions.
The bad news? Unfortunately Bangle and his designers are not claiming their fabric bodied roadster will lead directly or even indirectly to production.
The good news? Bangle believes the GINA car contains the seeds an elegant solution to future demands for affordable premium vehicles that have a high bespoke content, and whose manufacturing process is considerably greener than today’s.
