sQuba ; World's First Swimming Car

Three decades ago James Bond (then enacted by British star Roger Moore) wowed the world with a car that could 'fly' under water in the movie The Spy Who Loved Me. Only, it was animation and not an actual scene.

But Frank M Rinderknecht, the 52-year-old automobile visionary and boss of Swiss automaker Rinspeed, has turned a dream into reality with his 'sQuba.'

Rinspeed sQuba is the most exciting thing at this year's Geneva Motor Show and is creating many a ripple.

sQuba is the world's first real submersible car that can 'move like a fish underwater'.

It can dive up to 32.8 feet (10 mt) below the surface of the water and can move at a sedate 1.8 miles per hour.

The sQuba has an open cockpit for 'safety reasons' (so that people can get out easily anytime in case of an emergency). The occupants of the car have to breathe compressed air through built-in scuba masks.

sQuba is an electric car that uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and 3 electric motors for propulsion. It is a zero-emission car as documented by the rotating license plate in the rear. It produces no exhaust emissions.

The 'sQuba's' filling station is the water reservoir.? It is no surprise that the vehicle features powerful yet energy-saving LED lighting technology.

The first car that could drive underwater was Quandt's Amphibicar, built in 1968. Only 3,878 were produced but many are still being driven on roads.

Then Gibbs Technologies came up with Gibbs Aquada in 2004 which Virgin boss Richard Branson used to break the speed record for crossing the English Channel.

However, the sQuba seems to be the most exciting of them all.

To drive on the roads, the sQuba 'relies on a stainless coil-over suspension from KW automotive and large Pirelli tires mounted on custom-made forged light-weight wheels from AEZ with 17- and 18-inch diameters.'

Technical data

Measurements

Length ----- 3'785 mm

Width ----- 1''940 mm

Height ----- 1'117 mm

Wheelbase ----- 2?300 mm

Track front ----- 1?470 mm

Track rear ----- 1?520 mm

Ground clearance ----- 130 mm

Empty weight ----- approx. 920kg

Performances

Top speed ----- > 120 km/h

Acceleration 0-80 km/h ----- 7.1 sec

Water speed ----- > 6 km/h

Under water speed ----- > 3 km/h

Dive depth ----- 10 m

Engines

Street ----- Electric

Power output ----- max. 54 kW at 4'500 /min

Torque ----- 160 NM at 1'500 /min

Water - Stern propellers ----- Electric

Power output ----- 2 x 800 W

Diving - bow jet drives ----- Electric

Power output ----- 2 x 3.6 kW Rotinor

Batteries ----- Lithium-Ionen

Voltage ----- 6 x 48 Volt

Propulsion

Power train ----- Rear wheel drive

Gearbox ----- R - N - F

Suspension

Chassis ----- Steel

Body panels ----- Carbon Nano Tubes

Seating capacity ----- 2

Front suspension ----- Double wishbone

Rear suspension ----- Double wishbone

Dampers/springs ----- KW automotive

Steering ----- Rack & pinion

Tyres

Front tyres ----- Pirelli P Zero 205/40 R17

Front wheels ----- AEZ 7.5 x 17"

Rear tyres ----- Pirelli P Zero 225/40 R18

Rear wheels ----- AEZ 8 x 18"

Miscellaneous

Air supply ----- 1 x 15 liter + 1 x 18 liter ScubaPro

Laser scanner ----- Ibeo

Lubricants ----- Motorex

BMW Concept Car

BMW X5 - Twin Turbo Diesel Hybrid Concept Car

AUDI V-12 TDI - Concept Engine

Mercedes Benz F-700

The Mercedes-Benz F700 is a concept car produced by Mercedes-Benz. It was first revealed to the public at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show.

The F700 is powered by Mercedes' DiesOtto engine, so called because it combines elements of diesel and petrol (Otto cycle). The concept engine displaces 1.8-litres, and features twin sequential turbochargers, generating 177kW and 400Nm at unspecified engine speeds. As a result, the F700 has performance equivalent to the Mercedes-Benz S350, with a fuel consumption rating of just 53 mpg.

GT 550 - Black Beauty

New Concept Car - BMW Vision Efficient Dynamic

The official world premier will take place this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

BMW will never fail to surprise me because every time they introduce a new car it is always a masterpiece.

The new BMW Vision is a hybrid car that has 2 electric motors and a three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. The total capacity is of 356 HP. The car can reach 100 km/h in only 4.8 seconds. And the best about this hybrid is the fuel consumption – no more than 3,76 liters for 100 km. Incredible! Love this car.

First up is a slick 356-horsepower all-wheel-drive plug-in diesel-hybrid concept that BMW claims accelerates like an M3, sips gas like a Toyota Prius and can go 31 miles on battery power alone. It’s called the Vision Efficientdynamics Concept, and we’ll see it later this month at the Frankfurt auto show.

No, Vision Efficientdynamics Concept doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. But the name aside, BMW has a dynamite idea on its hands here.

The EfficientDynamics is a 2+2 four-door hybrid that combines M Series performance with better fuel efficiency and less emissions than you see in many compacts. BMW performs this magic by marrying its ActiveHybrid technology with an extremely economical engine and excellent aerodynamics. The result is a concept car with a top speed governed at 155 mph and a zero-to-62 acceleration time of 4.8 seconds. More impressive, the car gets 62.2 mpg and emits a Prius-like 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

Power comes from a 1.5-liter direct injection 3-cylinder turbodiesel engine and an electric motor on each axle. The engine was small to squeeze in between the rear seat and the rear axle, which should make the Efficientdynamics Concept very agile. The diesel puts out 163 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque. Add in the motors and total output is 356 ponies and a stump-pulling 590 pound-feet, though you can only get that much power in short bursts. The car has all-wheel-drive when running in electric mode. BMW says the car can run on the diesel engine, either one of the electric motors or any combination of the three.

The lithium-polymer battery pack sports 98 cells. It delivers 8.6 kilowatt-hours for driving the car, and BMW says the serial arrangement of cells has gross storage capacity of 10.8 kilowatt-hours. The pack weighs 187 pounds and BMW says it doesn’t need an active cooling system. BMW says the battery recharges in 2.5 hours at 220 volts.

All that tech is housed in a body designed with some serious inspiration from BMW’s Formula 1 cars. BMW says the Vision has a drag coefficient of 0.22, aided in part by the myriad vanes and ducts. People are going to love it or hate it, but you’d expect nothing less from BMW even without controversial designer Chris Bangle around anymore.

So far the Vision is just a concept. Still, BMW has made it clear it plans to make sustainability a cornerstone of its lineup, so we’re sure to see some of the technology in road cars before long.

Cayenne Tornado

Cayenne Tornado GTS 750 from tuning studio Gemballa

Tornado GTS 750 will be released in limited edition quantity of only 50 pieces, but the price will be much more car models - 400 000 Euro. So if you want to have your own tornado in your garage, hurry book now. Under the hood of this beast installed turbo V8 power of 750 hp with maximum torque 1 050 Nm, just managed to reduce the weight of SUV up to 250 kg. Reducing the weight of the vehicle speed allowing up to 100 km / h in 4.3 seconds and its top speed is 300 km / h. There was also further developed suspension and braking systems, clearance is reduced by 70 mm.

Press Release

There is only a little connection left between the GEMBALLA TORNADO 750 GTS and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. At the most, the Porsche SUV is the master model for the latest development by the automobile manufacturer from Leonberg near Stuttgart. Already at first glance, the targeted goal of the technicians at GEMBALLA Automobiltechnik GmbH & Co. KG can be clearly defined: away from the SUV and more to an uncompromising sports car. The reason for the performed metamorphosis was the large amount of requests for a high performance sports car with the dimensions and the spacious interior of an SUV. 25 years of experience with innovative products based on Porsche sports cars contributed to the development of this new automobile. The unique signature of owner Uwe Gemballa is also clearly visible with the TORNADO 750 GTS: 750 hp and a vehicle weight reduced by 250 kg are only two unique selling points of this superb automobile. Once again, the company confirms its expertise when it comes to striking design and an especially powerful engine technology.

Striking design for highest requirements

In order to meet the sports car’s increased requirements in terms of light construction and torsional stiffness, Uwe Gemballa´s team optimised nearly the entire auto body. For this reason, the ultra-strength and especially light material carbon is mainly used. A front apron extended by 60 millimetres with integrated aero lip generates more downthrust at the front axle and in connection with the also extended rear section it renders the typical elongated sports car look.

Extensive air inlets suck in additional fresh air for the engine, oil- and air intercooler; and moreover, an air duct system even brings the air to the front brakes. On the other hand, the engine heat is effectively diverted by air ducts in the also newly designed bonnet. The special highlight of the bonnet is its fusion with the front wings and the new, converse opening mechanism. Compared to the serial Cayenne, the one-part bonnet-wing-unit now opens forward and therefore allows a better access to the engine.

The outstanding eye-catchers of the TORNADO flanks are the body extensions which are fitted all the way from the front to the rear. They make space for the extremely broad 12-inch rims and in connection with the new side skirts they render a dynamic look. The aerodynamics specialists also extensively optimised the rear section. The rear skirt has been extended by 40 millimetres and for additional downthrust, a race diffuser has been added. A rear spoiler with carbon flaps perfects the aerodynamic overall package.

When designing the body kit, GEMBALLA does not leave any doubt that the TORNAGO 750 GTS is a full-blooded sports car. In order to emphasise this claim, GEMBALLA adds designer characteristics which are typical for sports cars: Round double tail lights and four end pipes of the high performance exhaust system which have been integrated in the rear skirt, confirm the powerful appearance.

Extensive modifications at the driving gear render impressive results

On the one hand, the combination of the sport exhaust system, the sport catalysers and the optimised racing header render the sporty and earthy sound of the V8. On the other hand this is a substantial part of the profound modifications at the serial power engine of the Cayenne Turbo. But the main feature of the engine makeover is the increase of the cubic capacity up to five litres. Here, the GEMBALLA engine experts fitted fortified forged pistons, special connecting rods and racing turbochargers. An air intercooler with a 90 percent larger cooling area supplies enough cold air. All these components are precisely adjusted to each other with the help of new engine electronics maps.

The result: with a top performance of 750 hp / 552 kW at 6,400 rpm and a maximum torque of 1,050 Nm at 3200 rpm, the GEMBALLA engine meets the wishes of its ambitious customers from motor sports and also renders excellent performance values. The 4WD automobile accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in only 4.3 seconds and with a maximum velocity of over 300 km/h, the GEMBALLA TORNADO 750 GTS is significantly more powerful than its serial counterpart.

Tunning gear and wheels for adequate grip and agile handling

The TORNADO was equipped with an adjustable coilover kit which has been especially adjusted to the enormous performance potential. This allows lowering the car by up to 70 millimetres and therefore permits a variable adjustment of the setup to every individual driver and scope of use.

The right grip is provided by the tailor-made wheel-tyre combination for the GEMBALLA TORNADO 750 GTS: The multi-part, especially light GT SPORT forged rims are available in 12Jx22 with tyres measuring 335/25 Z 22.

By manufacturing the wheels in forged technology, they are extremely light. Moreover, the weight of the unsprung masses is reduced which significantly improves the handling as well as acceleration and braking response.

The high-performance braking system with the punched and slit XXL discs guarantees optimal deceleration values. In order to provide the perfect gas pedal response, the GEMBALLA technicians used 6-piston brake callipers with 420mm discs at the front axle and 4-piston brake callipers with 380mm discs at the rear axle.

4-seater with state of the art interior

As usual, GEMBALLA builds the interior in an unsurpassable quality and in an innovative design. The four single sports seats which offer all passengers a unique seating experience when driving winding roads are another highlight. The hand-holds which are embedded in the rear centre console provide further support.

The new front centre console with the lifted gearbox and the Data Control System renders a real cockpit feeling. The harmonically integrated display presents driving data such as acceleration, cross-acceleration and deceleration values. But also comfort is not neglected in the TORNADO: Stylish and in artisan perfection, GEMBALLA integrates state of the art Rear Seat Entertainment components and combines these with finest materials, such as high-quality leather, carbon fibre or aluminium.

GEMBALLA – the specialist for high end Porsche refinements and innovative engineering design offers the GEMBALLA TORNADO GTS in a limited edition of 50 cars for a price from 400,000 euros.