Bertone Birusa | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Bertone, using a BMW motor and chassis |
Production | 2003 |
Designer | Giuliano Biasio at Bertone [1] |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Concept car |
Body style | 2-door coupe |
Layout | FR layout |
Doors | Gullwing doors |
Related | BMW Z8 |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 4.9 L V8 |
Power output | 400 bhp (298 kW; 406 PS) |
Transmission | 6-speed manual |
Dimensions | |
Length | 440 cm (173 in) |
Width | 190 cm (75 in) |
The Bertone Birusa is a concept car built in 2003 by Bertone and based on the BMW Z8. It debuted at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show. It was intended solely as a styling exercise and never went into production, neither intended to be supplied to any automobile producer, neither BMW, just a show car to gain projects. [2]
The Birusa uses the Z8's aluminum chassis, as well as its 4.9-liter DOHC V8 engine that produces 400 bhp (298 kW; 406 PS) at 6600 rpm and 370 lb⋅ft (502 N⋅m) of torque mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. It features power assisted, roof hinged carbon fibre gull-wing doors, [3] as well as a custom Bose sound system designed especially for the Birusa with 11 speakers and 2 subwoofers. [4] The Birusa had many new technological advances such as a glass sunroof that filters out 95% of UV rays from the passengers of the car and a multilingual voice control system that allows the driver to control many features. [5] It also was equipped with a night vision system. The Birusa has a large moonroof which doubles as its rear windscreen. The whole piece can be stowed electronically in the trunk by a button on the interior. [2]
The Birusa concept was paired with the Segway HT (Human Transporter), a segway scooter of Bertone's own design. The two are designed to work together and the Segway similar to the way Honda engineered the Honda City and Honda Motocompo. The trunk of the Birusa folds outwards to create a ramp for the Segway HT. The Segway itself was upholstered in Alcantara, like the interior of the Birusa, and featured its own Bose sound system, onboard navigation and headlights. [6]
Power-to-weight ratio is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement of actual performance of any engine or power source. It is also used as a measurement of performance of a vehicle as a whole, with the engine's power output being divided by the weight of the vehicle, to give a metric that is independent of the vehicle's size. Power-to-weight is often quoted by manufacturers at the peak value, but the actual value may vary in use and variations will affect performance.
Giovanni Michelotti was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Triumph marques. He was also associated with truck designs for Leyland Motors, and with designs for British Leyland after the merger of Leyland and BMC.
Austin-Healey was a British sports car maker established in 1952 through a joint venture between the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and the Donald Healey Motor Company (Healey), a renowned automotive engineering and design firm. Leonard Lord represented BMC and Donald Healey his firm.
Gruppo Bertone, commonly known as Bertone, was an Italian industrial design company which specialized in car styling, coachbuilding and manufacturing. It formerly was also a car manufacturing company. Bertone styled cars for Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, BMW, Citroën, Ferrari, Fiat, Iso, Lancia, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, and Volvo, among others. In addition, the Bertone studio was responsible for two of the later designs of the Lambretta motorscooter.
The Acura TL is an executive car that was manufactured by Acura, the luxury division of Honda. It was introduced in 1995 to replace the Acura Vigor and was badged for the Japanese-market from 1996 to 2000 as the Honda Inspire and from 1996 to 2004 as the Honda Saber. The TL was Acura's best-selling model until it was outsold by the MDX in 2007. In 2005, it ranked as the second best-selling luxury sedan in the United States behind the BMW 3 Series, but sales decreased after the 2008 model year. Four generations of the Acura TL were produced, with the final fourth generation TL premiering in 2008 as a 2009 model and ending production in 2014, when it was replaced together with the TSX by the TLX.
The Cadillac Seville is a mid-size luxury car manufactured by Cadillac from the 1976 to 2004 model years as a smaller-sized, premium model. It was replaced by the STS in 2004 for the 2005 model year.
The BMW Z8 is a roadster produced by German automotive manufacturer BMW from 1998 to 2003. The Z8 was developed under the codename "E52" between 1993 and 1999, through the efforts of a design team led by Chris Bangle from 1993 to 1995. The exterior was designed by Henrik Fisker and the interior by Scott Lempert.
The Honda S2000 is a front-mid engine open top sports car that was manufactured by Japanese automobile manufacturer Honda, from 1999 until 2009. First shown as a concept car called the SSM at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995, the production version was launched on April 15, 1999, to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. The S2000 is named for its engine displacement of two litres, while "S" stood for "sports" carrying on in the tradition of the S500, S600, and S800 roadsters of the 1960s.
The Acura RL is a mid-size luxury car that was manufactured by the Acura division of Honda for the 1996–2012 model years over two generations. The RL was the flagship of the marque, having succeeded the Acura Legend, and was replaced in 2013 by the Acura RLX. All models of the Legend, RL and RLX lines have been adapted from the Japanese domestic market Honda Legend. The model name "RL" is an abbreviation for "Refined Luxury."
The second generation of the BMW 6 Series consists of the BMW E63 and BMW E64 grand tourers. The E63/E64 generation was produced by BMW from 2003 to 2010 and is often collectively referred to as the E63.
The Acura Legend is a mid-size luxury car manufactured by Honda from Japan. It was sold in the U.S. and Canada under Honda's luxury brand, Acura, from 1985 until 1995. It was the first flagship sedan sold under the Acura nameplate, until being renamed in 1996 as the Acura 3.5RL. The 3.5RL was the North American version of the KA9 series Honda Legend.
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The Citroën Zabrus was a concept car of a 2+2 shooting brake design with three doors which was designed by the car manufacturer Bertone. It was based on the mechanics of the Citroën BX 4TC. It was first presented in May 1986 at the Turin Motor Show. The hatchback of the Citroën BX itself was based on a design by Bertone.
The Alfa Romeo GT is a coupe automobile that was produced by the Italian automaker Alfa Romeo between 2003 and 2010. The GT was introduced in March 2003 at the Geneva Motor Show. Production commenced on 28 November 2003, the GT was built at the Pomigliano plant, alongside the 147 and 159. A total of 80,832 units were produced.
The BMW M4 is a version of the BMW 4 Series automobile developed by BMW's motorsport division, BMW M, that has been built since 2014. As part of the renumbering that splits the coupé and convertible variants of the 3 Series into the 4 Series, the M4 replaced those variants of the BMW M3. Upgrades over the standard BMW 4 Series include an upgraded engine, suspension, exhaust system, brakes and weight reduction measures including increased use of carbon fibre, such as on the roof of the car.
The BMW C1 is an enclosed scooter made by Bertone for BMW. Compared to a conventional scooter, the C1 offered extra safety features and protection from the elements. The rider would sit in a car-type seat and adopt a feet-forward posture. Introduced in 2000, it was available throughout Europe, but sales were disappointing and the C1 was discontinued in 2002. In 2009 the C1-E electric version was presented as a concept.
The BMW Z models are a line of roadsters manufactured by German automaker BMW. The Z stands for Zukunft, and has been produced in four different series with six generations consisting of roadster, coupé, sports car, and concept variants.
The second-generation of the BMW 8 Series consists of the BMW G14, BMW G15 grand tourers and BMW G16 executive cars (E). The G14/G15/G16 generation has been in production since 2018, and is often collectively referred to as the G15.
The second generation of the BMW 4 Series consists of the BMW G22 along with the BMW G23 and BMW G26 compact executive cars. The G22 4 Series was launched in June 2020 and succeeds the F32 4 Series.
The Honda EV-N concept vehicle is a concept electric car created by the automobile division of Honda, designed as an homage to the N360 kei car. The vehicle made its world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2009, and had its European debut at Geneva the following March.