True car lovers can get “car-crazy” as they run their fingers over the metal lines of certain classic cars. Tail fins, hood ornaments, headlights, chrome bumpers… the list of classic features is endless. But what if the metal skins of future cars vanished? And instead of metal fenders to caress, cars enthusiasts were left to touch exterior skins made of fabric?
Sounds crazy? Not to the designers at BMW who created, GINA - Geometry and functions In ‘N’ Adaptation - a concept car that utilizes seamless fabric stretched over a moveable metal frame that even allows the driver to change its shape at will.
GINA’s skin is made of polyurethane-coated Lycra and is stretched over the chassis of the sporty Z8. The aluminum frame incorporates electric and hydraulic actuators that allow the operator to change the vehicle’s body shape. At the push of a button, the rear spoiler can be heightened or the fenders made wider. At night the skin covering the headlights seems to open liked human eyelids. BMW insists that the Lycra skin is water resistant, durable and flexible enough to morph with the driver’s desired body shape as it operates under all types of weather and road conditions.
As radical as this exterior design is, the GINA still has four panels: the front hood, two sides and the rear deck lid. The doors are completely smoothed when closed, however when opened reveal the fabric’s creases. BMW engineers say that the fabric will not slacken or damage itself as the vehicle changes body shapes. The fabric is also translucent allowing the tail lights to shine through.
BMW is not looking to mass produce this concept for showroom floors; GINA is a one-off design built to, as Chris Bangle, the Head of Design for the German automaker says, “challenge existing principles and conventional processes.”
It would seem that the concept behind GINA was intended to help push BMW’s internal design process in regards to future vehicle’s appearance as well as the boundaries of materials and manufacturing process.
As another company official said, "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."
So, for the time being, the metallic fenders of passionate car enthusiasts seem to be safe. However, the intelligent minds currently working to design tomorrow’s creations are itching to slide a new skin around our cool rides.
Selma Lockaby is a California native who enjoys helping customers meet their motorcycle transport services. She is an expert at nationwide car transportation services.
Sounds crazy? Not to the designers at BMW who created, GINA - Geometry and functions In ‘N’ Adaptation - a concept car that utilizes seamless fabric stretched over a moveable metal frame that even allows the driver to change its shape at will.
GINA’s skin is made of polyurethane-coated Lycra and is stretched over the chassis of the sporty Z8. The aluminum frame incorporates electric and hydraulic actuators that allow the operator to change the vehicle’s body shape. At the push of a button, the rear spoiler can be heightened or the fenders made wider. At night the skin covering the headlights seems to open liked human eyelids. BMW insists that the Lycra skin is water resistant, durable and flexible enough to morph with the driver’s desired body shape as it operates under all types of weather and road conditions.
As radical as this exterior design is, the GINA still has four panels: the front hood, two sides and the rear deck lid. The doors are completely smoothed when closed, however when opened reveal the fabric’s creases. BMW engineers say that the fabric will not slacken or damage itself as the vehicle changes body shapes. The fabric is also translucent allowing the tail lights to shine through.
BMW is not looking to mass produce this concept for showroom floors; GINA is a one-off design built to, as Chris Bangle, the Head of Design for the German automaker says, “challenge existing principles and conventional processes.”
It would seem that the concept behind GINA was intended to help push BMW’s internal design process in regards to future vehicle’s appearance as well as the boundaries of materials and manufacturing process.
As another company official said, "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."
So, for the time being, the metallic fenders of passionate car enthusiasts seem to be safe. However, the intelligent minds currently working to design tomorrow’s creations are itching to slide a new skin around our cool rides.
Selma Lockaby is a California native who enjoys helping customers meet their motorcycle transport services. She is an expert at nationwide car transportation services.
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