BMW GINA Light Visionary Concept | |
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BMW | |
aka | Geometry and Functions in 'N' (Infinite) Adaptations |
Introduction | 2008 |
Class | Concept Car |
Body Style | 2 Doors+2 Seats+ Coupe/Roadster |
Length | Unknown |
Width | Unknown |
Height | Unknown |
Wheelbase | Unknown |
Weight | Unknown |
Transmission | Unknown |
Engine | Unknown |
Battery | {{{Battery}}} |
Electric motor | {{{Electric motor}}} |
Power | Unknown |
Similar | similar (competition) |
Designer | Chris Bangle |
GINA project started in 2001 and it was unveiled to the public for the first time in 2008. GINA stands for “Geometry and functions In ‘N’ Adaptions” and it was designed by a team led by ex-BMW’s head of design, Chris Bangle, who says GINA allowed his team to “challenge existing principles and conventional processes.” What makes GINA Light Concept special are the surfaces covering the aluminum wire chassis. The flexible, stretchable water resistant translucent man-made fabric skin – polyurethane-coated Spandex, is resilient and durable. It resists high or low temperatures, does not swell or shrink and the movement does not slacken or damage the fabric.
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Photos[]
Unique Attributes[]
BMW claims the elastic, water resistant, translucent man-made fabric skin—polyurethane-coated Spandex—is resilient and durable. It resists high or low temperatures, does not swell or shrink, and the movement does not slacken or damage the fabric. The body changes its shape according to exterior conditions and speeds, and it also allows the driver to change its shape at will. The fabric is stretched over a frame with moving parts; shapes are formed beneath the skin by an aluminium wire structure, though at points where flexibility is needed (ducts, door openings, spoiler), flexible carbon struts are used. The shape of the frame is controlled by many electric and hydraulic actuators; for example, the headlights are revealed when small motors pull the fabric open from slits in an eyelid-like fashion, and access to the engine can be gained through a slit that opens down the middle of the bonnet. As the fabric is translucent, the taillights simply shine through it. GINA has just four "panels"—the bonnet, the two side panels and the trunk. Its skin appears seamless, but it can "grow" out its rear spoiler for stability at high speed. Its doors open in a butterfly style and are each covered by a fabric piece reaching all the way from the nose of the car to their trailing edge which, when closed, leaves a perfectly smooth surface.
Criticisms[]
The Human-Like Fabric Is Very Uncanny
Worldwide[]
This Car Was Never Sold
Design quirks and oddities[]
Driver and front seat passenger look out through a steeply inclined windscreen with the inside rear view mirror integrated into its frame. The side view mirrors are connected to the window frame. A narrow vertical dividing bar located at the center of the windscreen harks back to the typical windscreen division of traditional roadsters.
Awards[]
No Awards
See also[]