The automotive industry has long borrowed technology from the aerospace industry. Head-up displays, space frame construction, "drive by wire" controls and lightweight materials all first showed up on modern aircraft. Now BMW is turning back the clock a century or so. Just like a WWW I-era biplane, the BMW GINA Light Visionary concept car is fabric-skinned. The water-resistant material is stretched over a lightweight frame that can change its shape as you drive in a process that's visually akin to Bruce Banner's transformation into the Hulk. There are no visible gaps in the car's "body" except the door openings, the headlight covers open like cat's eyes, the taillights shine through the fabric and the engine is accessed through what looks like a surgical incision in the "hood." In the video, designer Chris Bangle babbles on waxes eloquent about "a philosophy that says 'let's do things differently'" and "context over dogma" (whatever that means). It's a cool concept, Chris, but enough is enough. Why not just shut up for once and (as you suggest) "let the material do the talking?"
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Several aircraft manufacturers offer fabric covered airplanes to this day, most notably on certain aerobatic and utility bush-type aircraft. It’s great for airplanes as it’s light and supports a robust steel tube structure and safety cage much better than most aluminum airplanes can. Modern synthetic aircraft coverings are very strong and last for decades. One very glaring dis-incentive I see for the auto industry is that fabric covering, though not terribly difficult, is incredibly labor intensive. This may be a good thing for the UAW, but not what automakers need in this era.
So does this mean Bangle dreams of an Axis of White Sale Power?
Let me know when Chris Bangle finally gets a good idea.
First, the inflatable car, now this.
Seriously: lightweight and possibly renewable materials, dent-proof doors, active aerodynamics are a few possibilities that just came to my mind. Bangle could be onto something, after Toyota appropriated his Butt for the ’07+ Camry.
Was I the only one that was intellectually insulted when Bangle not only explained what each word in the acronym meant, but also what an acronym is?
Having flown lots of fabric-covered (and wood as well) airplanes, I think this is pretty neat. Not sure I agree on the labor intensity, since re-covering a Cub or Champ is (as N-number says) very easy. But maybe it is more labor-intensive than bolting on metal panels.
“Context over dogma”? Seems pretty clear to me, just another way of saying thinking outside the box, thinking about the conditions and environment within which a car exists rather than “the way it has always been done.”
I applaud BMW for doing this; even if it is a design study. How can you discover something new if you never push the boundaries or try something different?
Hello all! Long time reader, first post.
carshark: yep
Seems like a pretty cool idea, although not with the Z4ish door/”character” line.
Stephan,
I never have done fabric work, but my Champ will probably be due for re-covering in a few years. I’ve talked to a lot of folks who have done it and they say that the main thing needed is not so much skill but time.
I doubt a car like this would ever see wide-scale production, but maybe it could have some interesting performance applications.
It’s nice to know that TTAC has some other disciples of ragwing taildraggers.
Let me know if you need any advice–stephwilkinson@verizon.net. I have a friend here in NY who has re-covered his Defender several times over the years. Also his Cub and Fleet biplane.
Fabric covered tube framed electric and motorcycle engined vehicles are a great idea for the third world. I remember bringing this up when RF was taking Friedman to task over the columnist’s views on the ramping up of auto production in India.
Vehicles have weighed too much for decades. SUV’s only mask the problem. Why not shoot for a vehicle that weighs no more than the equivalent of two to three passengers–6-700 pounds. Commuter vehicles are too heavy, if all were light, the roadways would be a safer place.
It’s fine for BMW to be playing around like this, but I am not so sure there is really any use to this AT ALL.
From a cost of ownership outlook, it’s a non starter. Even a really cheap fiberglass or plastic covering would be better, AND cheaper to produce. Durable fabrics are not cheap at all. They are certainly not durable and easily kept up.
What would be really interesting to see the numbers on would be if you could ever really save money on this over metal EVEN WITHOUT INCLUDING MAINTENANCE! The problem is that the weight reduction’s fuel savings will only be worthwhile at the same time that the price of the fabric goes through the roof due to it’s high petroleum and transportation content.
It’s like buying a higher mileage car to replace a working truck. The operational savings has a hard time overcoming the capital loss.
My father had both a Cub and a SuperCub in my lifetime, and I’d flown the SuperCub a time or two…Its a bit unnerving when you first think about the cloth, but I’d never had a second thought after the first time in it.
I’d gladly take a cloth covered car as a weekend toy, but I’m not sure if I’d be ready for such a thing on a daily basis. This is, however, a _very_ cool idea and I think that while it may never go mainstream, we’ll see this make headways in project garages around the world.
Landcrusher, I really don’t think BMW is saying, “We oughta all go out and make cloth cars.” It’s an exercise, a what-if, and it’s about as realistic as all those woo-woo concept cars we all salivate over at car shows, god know3s why.
gfen, the Hawker Hurricane–the most successful fighter of the Battle of Britain, more so than the Spitfire–was substantially fabric-covered. And the de Havilland Mosquito, one of the fastest twin-engine piston aircraft of all time, was covered with wood, so furniture- and piano-making companies could built it…
I like the idea of this; the practical application leaves some questions: You come back to your car late at night in an iffy neighborhood, and find the car “scalped”, stripped of its “skin”. Acouple of knife cuts would do the job easily.
CarShark:
No, you were not the only one intellectually insulted. Anyone likely to find this video and watch it knows what the hell an acronym is.
We know he designs ugly cars. Now we know he’s a condescending guy who designs ugly cars.
I dunno – a flatulent owner might need lots of Fabreze to rid it of that “circus tent” odor.
Also; didn’t Cheech and Chong make a truck out of reefer? Got great smileage.
You start with fabric over frame. It can be given tension, in a way that is not possible with unibody frames. Then the fabric would be impregnated with something to give it a fibreglass like consistency.
Vandalism can occur to any sort of vehicle. The question is one of repair costs, and how quickly the novelty will dissipate from damaging something so cheap. Would you prefer to risk arrest for vandalizing a Hyundai, or a Bentley?
Just think of the dry cleaning bills!
How much noise does this fabric make when driving at speed? I would think it’d be annoying.
Stephan,
BMW being profitable can make all the concepts they want. I still think this one was headed in the wrong direction though. Given how much could be learned with a composite concept instead, I just think this one was the wrong choice.
Now, if they want to make airplanes, I am all for it!
BlueBrat
How much noise does this fabric make when driving at speed? I would think it’d be annoying.
I wondered the same thing, and if it would balloon like the top on a 63 Ford convertible at speed, making it look like a mini-Wienermobile.
I’d like mine with synchronized twin Spandaus mounted to fire forward…
I hope the fabric’s not doped with the same stuff as the Hindenburg…
Fabric doesn’t make any noise at all on a Bellanca Super Viking at 200 knots…
In the case of the Viking, the Lycoming IO-540 would drown out any noise the fabric might make.
Seriously though, stressed fabric covering is quiet and does not have any of the tent-flap effect you might expect from a Jeep soft top.
Funny, I was thinking exactly that as I wrote it and hoping nobody would know…we had one at Flying magazine when I was there. Loudest, most miserable airplane I’ve ever flown cross-country.
Why are they pushing this as some kind of novel approach? Many cars, mostly pre-WW2 had fabric bodies. Typically they were light weight or sporty vehicles such as MG M Type Midgets, Wolseley Hornets, Austin 7s, Morris Cowley, various racing Rileys and especially Bentleys. Ironically (given the current ownership) there were a number of fabric bodied Rollers made too.
This is amazing! Love the idea!
However, you’d better make sure that material is knife-proof…vandalism would definitely abound.
Taking into account it’s only a concept, it’s great: the way the “eyes” open, or the “wings” open. The way the BB (Bangle Butt) reshapes itself – even that looks great.
However, the main point is to have the underlying skeleton (or frame) define transition points in the surface, and the stretched material makes the “bridges” between them. Not a new thing, of course (think about architecture and even the Graff Zeppelin) but cool nonetheless.
But, thinking about how such concept would be implemented in real life, I wonder:
– safety is taken care by the underlying frame and structure of modern cars anyway, so a light skin like that would not be a problem, unless it’s punctured by flying gravel or something similar;
– at which speed the turbulence of the air going around the car will being to _really_ affect the skin? At some speed, the skin will begin to either vibrate or buckle. Will that increase drag?
– to prevent the skin from collapsing at speed, the frame would have to be “denser” in certain parts to support the skin under stress from the rush of air. Then the lightness of aesthetic concept itself would be compromised;
– security: You better live or work in an above average neighborhood;
– granted, the car would be lighter than if it were made with a steel skin, but what about an aluminium skin (this considering that the fabric skin would incur more structural elements, therefore adding weight, etc)?
Still, it’s a surprising concept.
Have you guys ever heard about fabric on a plane popping? I know it won’t do it when it’s in good shape, but I have heard guys talk about it around the hangar (in fact, I heard it about a viking). Wondering if it’s a myth. I did get a ride in a cub once. It wasn’t loud. In fact, the wood seemed to soak up a bit of the vibration.
And during a collision what would happen? I have visions of a driver getting killed when they run over a dog.
Aesthetically, I think this model is a great success. I’ve always liked how the Z4 looked, and in fact I’ve liked a lot of Bangle’s designs for BMW. They catch your eye, one way or the other.
As for actual application, there are some (not insurmountable) hitches. My concern is, how secure is a car that’s covered in easy-to-cut fabric?
Feasible or not, it really does look quite good, Bangle creases and all. The eyes are a nice touch. I’m thinking of all the potential body changes that could be executed on the fly. A new, lighter, better era for car design?
I would buy that car for any amount of money. That is quite simply the coolest concept car I’ve ever seen.
For those worried about collisions, keep in mind that such vehicle could have a very strong steel frame beneath the fabric as most fabric covered airplanes do. NASCAR race cars are some of the safest cars you’ll ever find, but their bodies are extremely light and flimsy. It’s the safety cage that lies beneath that gives the car strength and structural integrity.
For those worried about speed, there have been very many fast fabric airplanes such as the previously discussed Bellanca Viking. It often cruises at speeds faster than most BMW’s would ever see, even on a track with no problems to the skin. The P-51’s that race at Reno are some of the very fastest piston-powered machines ever built, land or air, and they have fabric covered control surfaces.