Skip to main content

BMW GINA

The BMW GINA changes the design rulebook concept which features clever use of materials and technology. The GINA acronym stands for 'Geometry In "N" Adaptions'. The 'N' stands for infinite. Quite logical really...
While at first glance the BMW GINA appears to be nothing more than a modified and stretched BMW Z4. As soon as the doors are opened it reveals its true nature.
Covering the lightweight spaceframe of the BMW GINA are not conventional metal bodypanels, but instead an elastic, rubber-like material is stretched across the structural members and wire frame to form an attractive design which follows BMW's flame surfacing styling philosophy.
This elastic material has given BMW's designers more options when designing various moving parts of the GINA concept. The doors for example have no shut line along their front edge as the material just moves with the door. At the rear the electro-hydraulic adjustable spoiler rises and lowers under the skin of the roadster to increase and decrease downforce, all without interupting the flowing lines of the vehicle. And at the front of the GINA concept the headlights hide behind the body when not in use, when turned on the skin opens up to reveal the headlight - in a manner eerily like a human eye.
The elastic material also plays a part in revealing the front-mounted engine, where a central slit divides the bonnet in two. This slit can be opened and closed. When open it looks disturbingly like a surgeons scalpel mark.
Inside the BMW GINA concept the material has been employed in both the dash and the seats. In the dash it is used to tilt the central gauges toward the driver when the engine is started. While in the seats it is used to raise the head restraints to follow the contours of the human body.
Further helping to keep the lines of the GINA concept clean and uncluttered are the taillights which are hidden under the skin of the roadster. Completley invisible when off, they shine through the material when needed.
While such extensive use of elastic material will be difficult to translate into a practical production vehicle. Its use for some elements of vehicle design could well become more common in future thanks to its lightweight and highly flexible design properties.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Lamborghini Diamante

Thomas Granjard's Final year degree project at Coventry University Lamborghini Diamante University project (not developed with Lamborghini) Trailer We're in the year 2023. Oil is getting depleted on our planet. However, mobility will continue to exist, it needs to. Such mobility not only includes boring electric vehicles for the city but also supersportcars with alternative drive systems. Flat, fast, extreme – cars that still set everyone in the mood for mobility without having a bad conscience – such as the eco-friendly Diamante Concept Car. This concept combines exclusivity and extremes in one single supersportcar. The name says it all. The most valuable mineral in the world stands for luxury, but also for naturalness, pureness, hardness and beauty – exactly as the dream car with the white collar. Its extremely flat silhouette is flanked by sharply outlined edges, the curved surface appears to be unpolished, rough, precious. The aerodynamic system uses movable wings to ...
Read more

Maserati Ghibli vs BMW 6 Series : Which Will You Buy?

When considering vehicles like Maserati Ghibli and the BWM 6 Series Gran Coupe, both reflect an effort toward blending dignified luxury with exhilarating performance. Though beholding vehicles of this caliber is always an exercise most fruitfully left to the natural eye, the image above serves as a simple example of each sedan’s inherent dignity. In lieu of experiencing each vehicle’s performance profile from behind the wheel, the table provided similarly works to demonstrate what both Ghibli and BMW’s 6 series have been engineered to accomplish. Comparing the Maserati Ghibli vs. BMW 6 Series in this regard yields a number of important emphases. Local clients will notice that both vehicles develop their identity around six-cylinder engines with a pair of strategic turbochargers. Yet regardless of identical displacement and analogous induction technology, Maserati serves its Ghibli clients with significantly greater quantities of horsepower and torque. In addition to t...
Read more

Peugeot RC

The RC concept was designed at the Peugeot Style Centre. Intended as a true enthusiasts car, the real innovation lay in the fact that the car was designed as an "affordable" sports car. The Peugeot RC was the concept car that paved the way for the 2008 Peugeot RC HYmotion4 concept. Peugeot used the 2002 RC concept to compare performance and economy differences between comparable petrol and diesel engines. As an affordable sports car the RC had to deliver not only in terms of price, but there was the engine, the size and running costs, as well as driver comforts to consider. A wide panoramic windscreen and the cab forward seating helps the driver see all around the car and compensates for the effect caused by the length of the car. In the Petrol vs. Diesel experiment, Peugeot aimed to prove that an HDi engine could match the performance levels achieved from a petrol engine. And to demonstrate that it was not unreasonable to put an HDi engine in a sports car. The 2 resulti...
Read more