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| Company type | Aktiengesellschaft |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Frank M. Rinderknecht (Founder & CEO) |
| Website | Official website |
Rinspeed Inc. is a Swiss concept car manufacturer founded in 1979. Rinspeed often show their designs at CES in Las Vegas and the Geneva Motor Show..
Rinspeed Inc. was founded in 1979 by Frank M. Rinderknecht and by the 1980s, Rinspeed had become the exclusive Swiss importer of AMG and AC Schnitzer vehicles. Rinspeed became synonymous with launches at the Geneva Motorshow, their first unveiling was, a turbocharged, modified Volkswagen Golf GTI with squared grille and headlamps. [1] In 1981, Rinspeed returned to the show with a more heavily modified Golf called the Aliporta, featuring gullwing doors similar to those on the Delorean DMC-12. [2] In the following years, Rinspeed showed concept Porsche's at the Geneva Motorshow including a heavily modified 930 Turbo known as the Rinspeed R39, at the time becoming a unique convertible 911 Turbo that was not in mainstream production and a R69 Turbo concept, a 911 Turbo coupe inspired by the Ferrari Testarossa. It is estimated 12 of the R69s were produced. [3] [4] [5]
In the early 1990s, Rinspeed collaborated with Swiss artist Rolf Knie who hand painted a horse inspired design onto a Nissan 300ZX. Alongside the unique art, the Nissan was heavily modified with parts from suppliers including HKS. [6] Moving through the 1990s and 2000s, Rinspeed continued to demonstrate heavily modified and unique concept cars including futuristic aluminimum bodied sports cars such as the R Roadster, the single seat kompogas powered Advantige R1, a Bugatti EB110 called the Cyan, and a two door, low roof Porsche Cayenne. [7] [8] [9] [10]
In 2006, Rinspeed achieved the world record time for a hydrofoil crossing the English Channel utilising their Splash concept vehicle, taking 3h 14 minutes to cover 36km. [11] Rinspeed continued with their amphibious car concepts in 2008 with the Squba, the world's first car that can be driven both on land and underwater. [12] [13] Rinspeed were inspired by the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me . The chassis from the Lotus Elise is used as the base for the sQuba. [14]
Moving into the 2020s, Rinspeed have begun to specialise in micro and city mobility on projects such as the microSNAP. [15] [1]
Rinspeed zaZen is a Rinspeed concept car shown for the first time at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. It is based on the Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S platform and developed in collaboration with Bayer MaterialScience.
The zaZen is powered by a flat-6 engine that has a displacement of 3,824 cubic centimetres (233.4 cu in) and develops a maximum power of 355 bhp (261 kW) at 6600 rpm. The car is able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 182 mph (293 km/h). [16]
Built around a Lotus Elise, the Rinspeed sQuba is a concept car that can 'fly' underwater and has zero emissions. It debuted at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, 30 years after its inspiration: the movie The Spy Who Loved Me . The sQuba was featured in the first episode of 14th season of UK motoring show Fifth Gear .
The Rinspeed Splash is a concept amphibian vehicle with hydrofoil design capable of 45 knots on water or nearly 200 km/h (120 mph) on land. Propelled by a 750 cc two cylinder turbo-charged engine burning natural gas which supplies 140 hp (104 kW) at 7000 rpm and weighs just 825 kg (1,819 lb), this strange-looking vehicle can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. It premiered at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show. The Splash was featured in an episode of Top Gear . In 2006 it set a record for crossing the English Channel in a hydrofoil car, making the journey in 3 hours 14 minutes. [17]
The iChange is a concept car that changes shape and configuration based on the number of passengers inside, up to three. It was unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The car features are controlled by an Apple iPhone and it is powered by a 150 kW (201 hp) electric motor. The iChange has a 0–100 km/h (62 mph) speed of slightly over four seconds, and can hit a top speed of 136 mph (219 km/h). [18]
The Rinspeed UC is a micro concept electric car that was presented at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. [19] The name UC stands for "Urban Commuter" or "You see". It is a 2.5 metres long micro vehicle, operated with a central joystick. The electric motor delivers 124 N⋅m (91 lbf⋅ft) of torque. The concept car can reach a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph), and on-board batteries enable the car a capable of 120 km (75 mi) range in one charge.
The Budii concept displayed at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show is worked around the future possibilities of self driven cars. Budii displays experiments to include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) radio-based communications, radar and motion sensing systems including advanced camera monitoring. It is also equipped with telescoping laser scanner on the roof called TrackView which can be raised by 70 centimeters and delivers a precise 3D perspective by combining data from all the various sensors to map the surrounding terrain. [20]
Concept Ʃtos is a concept presented in the Consumer Electronics Show in 2016. It is based on the BMW i8. [21] [22]
Announced late in 2016 and first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January 2017, the Rinspeed Oasis concept car takes Rinspeed's 2015 Budii and 2016 Etos concept cars farther, integrating state-of-the art autonomous vehicle technologies, social media, and Mobility as a Service into a compact car described as a "living room" on wheels. [23] It also features floor to ceiling glass doors, a battery-electric engine, retractable steering wheel, solar panels integrated into the roof, and an augmented reality display. An unusual feature, for a car, is the dash-mounted garden with sensors to advise the user when to feed the plants. [24] It was also shown at the Detroit Motor Show. Partners on the project included Kostal (electronics), Harman (electronic controls), WayRay (infotainment system) among a wide range of other firms.
The Porsche Cayenne is a series of automobiles manufactured by the German company Porsche since 2002. It is a luxury crossover SUV and has been described as both a full-sized and a mid-sized vehicle. The first generation was known internally within Porsche as the Type 9PA (955/957) or E1. It was the first V8-engined vehicle built by Porsche since 1995, when the Porsche 928 was discontinued. It is also Porsche's first off-road variant vehicle since its Super and Junior tractors of the 1950s, and the first Porsche with four doors. Since 2014, the Cayenne has been sold alongside a smaller Porsche SUV, the Macan.
The Porsche 959 is a sports car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Porsche from 1986 to 1993, first as a Group B rally car and later as a road legal production car designed to satisfy FIA homologation regulations requiring at least 200 units be produced.
The Porsche 997 is the sixth generation of the Porsche 911 sports car manufactured and sold by the German automobile manufacturer Porsche between 2004 and 2013. Production of the Carrera and Carrera S coupés began in early 2004, all-wheel drive Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S began to be delivered to customers in November 2005, the Turbo and GT3 derivatives went on sale in late 2006 and the GT2 in 2007. In addition to the coupé and cabriolet versions, Targa versions of the Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S were also available, which carry on with the "glass canopy" roof design used since its first application on the 993 until the 991, which reverted to the classic targa top layout used on the early 911 Targas.
Brabus GmbH is a German high-performance automotive aftermarket tuning company founded in 1977 in Bottrop. Brabus specialises mainly in Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart vehicles. They have also modified other vehicles including Porsche.
The Eliica is a supercar or an battery electric vehicle prototype or concept car first shown in 2004 and designed by a team at Keio University in Tokyo, led by Professor Hiroshi Shimizu. The 5.1 m (17 ft) car runs on a lithium-ion battery and can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in four seconds. In 2004, the Eliica reached a speed of 370 km/h (230 mph) on Italy's Nardò High Speed Track. The team's goal is to exceed 400 km/h (250 mph), breaking the record set by today's street-legal gasoline-powered vehicles.
The Geneva International Motor Show was an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The Porsche Panamera is a mid to full-sized luxury car manufactured and marketed by German automobile manufacturer Porsche. It currently spans across three generations, using a front-engine, rear or all-wheel drive configuration.
Wiesmann GmbH is a German automobile manufacturer that specializes in hand-built custom convertibles and coupes. Brothers Martin Wiesmann and Friedhelm Wiesmann founded the company in 1988 which has its headquarters located in Dülmen. The business was temporarily closed in May 2014, and following a buyout by London-based investor Roheen Berry who took over as CEO, it is set to return with a new model, powered by a BMW M division-sourced V8 engine. The relaunch of the Wiesmann brand has more than one model, including an electric vehicle, in the pipeline and the pre-development phase of the car has been completed. A teaser video of the brand's rebirth, posted on their website, tells viewers to “expect the unexpected”.
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The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high-performance homologation model of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is a line of high-performance models, which began with the 1973 911 Carrera RS. The GT3 has had a successful racing career in the one-make national and regional Porsche Carrera Cup and GT3 Cup Challenge series, as well as the international Porsche Supercup supporting the FIA F1 World Championship.
The sQuba, developed by Swiss company Rinspeed, is the world's first car that can be driven both on land and underwater. The original idea by Rinspeed founder and CEO Frank M. Rinderknecht was inspired by the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. The chassis from the Lotus Elise is used as the base for this vehicle.
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