For this year's Geneva Motor Show, Swiss tuner and concept car specialist Rinspeed has developed a modified Fiat 500 Abarth study badged "E2" featuring a dual power mode system that affects the engine electronics. What this system does is, with the touch of a button, it reduces the output of the 500 Abarth's 1.4-liter turbocharged engine, from 160HP to 60HP. The 60-horsepower 'Commuting' mode, which is more suitable for city traffic, helps the 500 Abarth achieve an average consumption of around 4.0 lt / 100 km or 58.8mpg U.S.
Outside the city, the 'Highway' mode frees the 1.4 Turbo engine' 160HP. Fuel consumption in this mode is in the neighborhood of seven liters per 100 kilometers or 33.6mpg US.
"Just like the auto industry has to adjust to the demands of a new era, tuners have to look for new ways to do business as well," said Rinspeed boss Frank M. Rinderknecht.
"I don't believe too much in eco tuning. Many drivers are not willing to miss out on driving fun and don't want to drive a something that announces to the world that they do without. But the number of people who want to use our energy supply responsibly not in the least because they want to protect our environment will grow quickly," he added.
Swiss Porsche specialist Rinspeed has supped-up the latest 997 Turbo giving it a power boost and a more distinct look with an eyecatching but luckily not over-exaggerated bodykit. Mechanic wise, Rinpeed’s 911 Turbo “Le Mans” receives two special VTG turbo chargers, a new Carbon air intake ram-air system with sport air filters, improved intercoolers as well as a high performance exhaust system with metal catalytic converters. These modifications are enough to increase output 480Hp @ 6000 to 600Hp @ 6.700 rpm and max torque from 620Nm @ 1950-5000 to 800Nm & 4.000. According to the Swiss company, the “
Press Release: The Swiss Porsche specialist Rinspeed launches its new and exclusive accessories program "Le Mans" for the latest Porsche 997 Turbo models
The body
The "Le Mans" front skirt with integrated Carbon splitters appears eye-catching and produces a higher aerodynamic down force at the front axle. This increase results in a better road handling. The bigger and re-shaped air intakes for the radiators and the brakes improve the cooling of them considerably. Additional headlights with day light driving lights and the inboard moved fog lights guarantee a sporty yet elegant appearance. The newly - especially for the Turbo developed - side skirts connect optically the front and rear fenders in a maximal way. It follows the new body lines harmonically. Further appearance improvement is achieved by the Carbon covers for the rear view mirrors. The "Le Mans" rear skirt with integrated exhaust tips also increases the down force on the rear axle and esthetically supports the high performance exhaust system with integrated metal catalytic converters. Eye-catching yet not separable element is the rear wing which sits tightly above the rear hatch. The wing profile is also available in a Carbon finish.
The propulsion
For the first time the Swiss tuners have also addressed the engine output. The 3.6 liter power pack produces in the "Le Mans" breathtaking 600 hp (441 kW) at 6'700 rpm, the torque is increased to almost unbelievable 800 Nm at 4'000 Nm. The engine conversion includes two special VTG turbo chargers, a new Carbon air intake ram-air system with sport air filters, improved intercoolers as well as a high performance exhaust system with metal catalytic converters.
These modifications allow the Rinspeed "Le Mans" to be accounted amongst one of the fastest street legal sports cars. The sprint from 0-100 km/h is achieved by the super sportsman in just 3.3 seconds, the 200 km/h mark is reached in 10.9 seconds and the top speed is clocked at 343 km/h.
Further equipment of the "Le Mans" consists in an adjustable suspension which is based on the original PASM damper system. It has been developed in cooperation with Bilstein and assures a precise road handling in the top class. Maximum braking is achieved by an efficient and stable high performance brake kit with 8 pistons aluminum calipers and 380 mm x 34 mm at the front axle and 6 pistons calipers with 360 mm x 32 mm at the rear axle.
A close contact to the road is ensured by the typical and well sold Rinspeed 20 inch aluminum wheels in the C5/1 design. The rear wheels have been widened to the size of 12 x 20" especially for the Turbo. The tires sizes of 245/30-20 at the front axle and 325/25-20 at the rear axle hug the road for sufficient grip for the Swiss super sportsman.
Technorati: Porsche+911+Turbo, Rinspeed, Swiss, Tuning, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, images, pictures
Yep, it’s another “wacko” concept from Swiss carmaker Rinspeed. The “eXasis” is a drivable "glass" car with a completely transparent body and floor made of Makrolon whose styling is reminiscent of early 40’s race cars –albeit with a large road clearance. The two seater roadster is powered by a lightweight, 150Hp strong 750 cc 2-cylinder turbocharged Weber engine that runs on bioethanol. Combine that with the fact the eXasis tips the scale at just 750kg, and you have a weight-to-power ratio of just 5 kg/hp. Theoretically the eXasis can go from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 4,8 sec achieving a top speed of 210 km/h (131 mph). –Continued: Click “Read More…” below to check the press release with technical specs and a full, high res image gallery
PRESS RELEASE: “Glass" concept car to mark Rinspeed's 30th birthday - 40 years after Bayer's first "all-plastic" car
eXasis - Glass-free transparency
Zumikon / Leverkusen – "There's never been anything like it" were the words used in the online edition of an acclaimed international news magazine to describe its editor's reaction when the first sketches of the new Rinspeed concept car, "eXasis", appeared on the Internet, "and it looks like no other vehicle before it". In fact, the illustrations could only hint at what Swiss automotive visionary Frank M. Rinderknecht had thought up in collaboration with the experts from Bayer MaterialScience AG – one of the largest plastics producers in the world – to mark his company's 30th anniversary: a drivable "glass" car with a completely transparent body and floor made of Makrolon. Once again, this Rinspeed creation has been built by the Swiss engineering specialists Esoro, and will be shown to the public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show (March 8-18, 2007), 40 years after Bayer presented the first "all-plastic car" at the K67 Plastics Fair in Germany in 1967.
"Everyone who sees the eXasis for the first time raves about the glass car, but they actually mean our transparent high-tech plastic," says Ian Paterson, the member of the Bayer MaterialScience Board of Management responsible for Innovation, describing the typical reaction to the prototype. "Many people only talk about innovation. We do it, in conjunction with our partners." In fact, nearly all the Bayer MaterialScience business units were involved in the development of the concept car, providing products such as surface coatings and polyurethanes (for molding tools). but it was the plastics experts from BMS with their Makrolon polycarbonate who were responsible for the transparency of the eXasis. Frank M. Rinderknecht: "In this ethereal transparency, the true spirit of the eXasis becomes visible. An abstract idea becomes material, visions become a tangible car. Yet the eXasis still doesn't seem to have quite arrived in our material world."
So is it just a clever 3D projection, a fata morgana or perhaps a four-wheel ‘objet d'art’? In any case, the third vehicle to emerge from the cooperation between the two companies differs fundamentally from the other two: the futuristic-looking "Senso" and the pure-blooded "zaZen" sports car. The eXasis is a completely new development, in other words it is not based on a production-line vehicle. The insect-like, shiny yellow body with the exposed wheels looks like a mix of the legendary Auto-Union racing cars from the first half of the last century and an off-road vehicle, offering room for two people, one behind the other. The reinterpretation of the frequently cited cigar form is crowned in the "sexy" rear section with an attractively integrated ventilator and a superb matching, highly polished Remus exhaust muffler. And the transparency also provides an unrestricted view of the compact 2-cylinder 750 ccm Weber engine, which, very unusually, sits above the transmission.
The eXasis is a real eye-catcher with nothing to hide. The outer Makrolon shell, molded by the Swiss firm Mecaplex and coated with a tinge of yellow by the German hard coatings specialist, KRD, reveals the vehicle's load-bearing aluminum chassis. The chassis looks as if it has been cut from a solid piece of material, and in fact the bulkheads are. Despite this, the entire construction exudes a sense of lightness like bamboo, underlined by a Lesonal chrome effect finish based on Bayer MaterialScience's Desmodur and Desmophen. To finish the surfaces of the knobs and levers, the Bayer experts came up with a special soft-feel coating based on waterborne binders - their sole aim being to pamper the eyes and hands of the driver.
The two occupants sit in special seats designed in cooperation with Recaro. Each seat consists of twelve transparent Makrolon ribs – the same number as a human being has. The head restraint and armrests are made of transparent Technogel. The Hightex/Sellner Group, which is specialized in interior design, was responsible not only for the futuristic seat coverings and the design of the fabric-covered steering wheel, it has also added a number of other stylish highlights. One example is the innovative application of aluminized glass fiber material with a diamond-shape design on the wheel rims, trim, wishbones, fuel tank and headlamps.
The two transparent indicator and function displays are an absolute delight, both technically and optically. They seem to hover on both sides in the driver's field of vision. By touching them, various functions can be displayed and controlled. Each of the touch-panels is made of a transparent CD/DVD Makrolon blank that has been coated with electrically conductive Baytron from H.C. Starck to trigger the switch functions. The displays were developed by the Swiss safety and closure system specialists, Kaba. The personalized access system to the car is also be integrated in the touch panels.
The "eXasis" is powered by an extremely lightweight, 150 bhp Weber engine driven by CO2-emission-reducing bioethanol. In view of the fact that the car weighs only 750 kg because of its lightweight plastic construction, one horsepower has to shift only 5 kg – and that is about the same as a very nippy Porsche.
Rinspeed was also able to persuade some state-owned companies and government departments to become involved in the eXasis project. The fuel is provided by Alcosuisse, the profit center of the Swiss Alcohol Board, while the Swiss Federal Office of Energy has chosen the eXasis to take part in a study on the subject of lightweight construction and ecology. More information on bioethanol and
To transfer all this power to the road, the KW chassis specialists have accommodated the tailor-made spring and shock absorber units vertically in the front in the partition wall and horizontally at the rear. The tires are Pirelli's 22-inch High-Performance P Zero, mounted on forged five-spoke wheels manufactured by the German wheel maker, AEZ. Here too, attention to detail is evident: the wheels are decorated with transparent "inlays" of Makrolon® that look like small windows.
Despite the attractive sweeping contours that blend smoothly into the car's transparency, the eXasis is ‘edgy’ and definitely has a character of its own. But everybody who has the pleasure of driving it is agreed on one thing: glancing down through the transparent floor while the car is moving gives a very special kind of thrill…
TECHNICAL DATA
Measurements
Length 3'700 mm
Width 1'960 mm
Height 1'284 mm
Wheelbase 2’500 mm
Track front 1’700 mm
Track rear 1’700 mm
Ground clearance 325 mm (245mm)
Empty weight approx. 750kg
Vmax
Top speed 210 km/h
Acceleration 0-100 km/h approx. 4.8 sec
Engine
Engine family Weber Motor MPE 750 Turbo
Displacement 750 ccm
Stroke 66 mm
Bore 85 mm
Cylinders 2
Valves 4
Compression ratio 9:1
Power output 150 PS
at 7500 /min
Max. torque 150 Nm
at 4500 /min
Type of fuel Ethanol
Propulsion
Power train Rear wheel drive
Gearbox Manual sequentiell
Gears 6
Suspension
Chassis Aluminium
Body Plastic
Seating capacity Recaro Innovation
Front brakes 380 mm - 6 piston
Rear brakes 355 mm - 4 piston
Front suspension Double wishbone
Rear suspension Double wishbone
Dampers/springs KW automotive
Steering Rack & pinion
Tires
Front tires 265/30-22
Front wheels AEZ 8.5 x 22“
Rear tires 295/25-22
Rear wheels AEZ 11 x 22“
Technorati: Rinspeed+eXasis, Geneva+Motor+Show, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop, blogs, images, pictures, 2007
