Carbon fiber is stronger than steel. Dont know what you were talking about.

I didn’t say it wasn’t as strong as steel. I said it wouldn’t take fender-benders very well.

CF is extraordinarily expensive to fabricate, and is stiff rather than flexible, so it would shatter on impact, as you see in Formula One crashes. No more pounding out / filling and repainting a dent for a few hundred bucks; instead you get to get a whole new panel fabricated at five figures.

I wonder if the fabric flutters in the wind at 100 mph?

My collie says:

Let me guess. He wants to know if it comes in blue — and is it stain proof?

How did you know?

Yeah…some of those fabric planes can be had for less than the price of the BMW too (Well a less than a five series anyway). Don’t laugh at fabric, that bird will cruise better than 180 mph at about 14.5 mpg.

In accordance with the GINA principle, every functionality enhancement helps to create an emotional bond between the driver and their car.

Surely, Chris Bangles is living in a solitary closed environment with controlled temperature and humidity. He just needs a companion.

And, call me a girly girl, but I think it’s sexy. If I were younger and fitter, I’d have to stop myself from trying to drive country roads in it buck nekkid.

leucanthemum on June 10, 2008 at 8:53 PM

And if I was younger and fitter, I’d have to stop myself from stopping you from stopping yourself.

“… but really we want to achieve a higher emotional plane out of this…”

Really? I’m looking for my car to stay together, keep running, and get me from point A to point B. I’m not looking for an emotional experience here.

Maybe I don’t understand why rich people get expensive cars. Or designer suits. Or cars in designer suits (which I think this is).

gekkobear on June 10, 2008 at 4:33 PM

Makes you feel old, right? Me too.

Is that going to be Kevlar lined cloth??? If so you would have a ding proof, scratch proof, skin. The frame is what actually absorbs a wreck not the skin anyway.
C-Low on June 10, 2008 at 6:57 PM

What I thought of was the birdair product used for the roof of the denver airport, georgia dome and other structures. It’s essentially self-cleaning thanks to teflon impregnation.

Tension structures are way beautiful, and the fact that it’s shape is morphable is really cool. For those of you worried about damage, think how much easier repair will actually be. It’s a fabric cover. Think sailcloth, not rayon, and you’ll understand that fabrics can be very, very tough. Geotextiles come to mind too. It’s all just engineering.

I like the concept of altering the shape of the vehicle dynamically too.

2. The back end isn’t so great, but almost no cars outside of Italy have good looking rears.

3. The headlights are 29.4 kinds of awesome.

4. “Bimmer” is “correct” for the cars according to the BMW associations. Most people outside those clubs say “beemer.”

5. As they said in the video, crash safety isn’t about the skin – the skin is there to control airflow and for looks.

Many light airplanes are made of fabric, especially the wings. I don’t think this is such a bad idea, considering the cost of fuel. This car would be very light. Not to mention the versatility of different looks.

Troy Rasmussen on June 10, 2008 at 4:15 PM

Absolutely, that was my first thought. I married into an aviation family and got hooked pretty quick. Lots of experimentals are still made with cloth.

What happens after it sits out in the sun and the fabric starts to get brittle, and all those wrinkles get baked in?

RushBaby on June 10, 2008 at 4:44 PM

Fabric airplane wings are coated with special coatings to prevent UV damage.

They tried this with magical machines filled with hydrogen. Of course if they put a hydrogen fuel cell in these…

So if you get in a wreck and your car catches fire, you’ll burn up on the ground. Cool car skin to environmentally unfriendly ash in 3.2 seconds… Hindenberg anyone?

catmman on June 10, 2008 at 5:53 PM

The biggest problem with the Hindenburg was that the skin was coated with ammonium nitrate to protect it from the elements. Ammonium nitrate is one of the prime ingredients in solid rocket fuel… not good around flame!!!

.
And, call me a girly girl, but I think it’s sexy. If I were younger and fitter, I’d have to stop myself from trying to drive country roads in it buck nekkid.

The weight savings will mean higher power to weight ratio and gas millage.

My guess this would be the BMW version of the US Corvette and its fiberglass skin.

drunyan8315 on June 10, 2008 at 6:42 PM

Actually more conservative republicans drive them because we don’t believe in the global warming crap!

…the pinhead presenter…

Yeah, why couldn’t he just say “Is this cool-looking or what?!” and leave it at that?

If I drove one, would it would turn me into a prancing Democrat?

Hooray.

Not bad at all..

OK what happens when the neighborhood kids come over to prank it with a little lighter fluid and a Zippo?

RushBaby on June 10, 2008 at 4:17 PM

Well then, you live in the wrong neighborhood. :)

My grandson is learning to drive on my ’86 325es that I bought new. It still gets 26.5 mpg around town, and 40 on the highway. I tried and tried, but I couldn’t break the dang thing!

I’m now driving a 2003 Z4, and loving every minute of it.

If BMW comes out with a fabric Z4, and I can change it’s “clothes”, I’ll be the first one in line to get one!

What happens in a wreck

Confederate on June 10, 2008 at 4:08 PM

Scissors of Life…