BMW has revealed a radical shape-shifting roadster concept that has been the inspiration behind its controversial car designs – and will also influence the German brand’s future vehicles.
The Gina Light Visionary Model is a dramatic-looking two-seater sports car that swaps traditional sheetmetal for a near-seamless, stretchable fabric that can contort into different shapes.
The special waterproof and temperature-resistant “hybrid” fabric is draped over a high-strength metal wire structure that features a series of carbonfibre and steel-mesh struts in various locations. The driver can change the roadster’s exterior design by using switches to activate these electro-hydraulically controlled sections.
Have you ever wondered what might result from a three-night hook-up between a zeppelin, an original BMW 507, and a BMW Z4 roadster? Neither have we, but now that we’ve seen the BMW GINA concept (pronounced jee-nah), we’ve got a pretty good idea, and it’s even sort of beautiful.
GINA is an acronym for “Geometry and Functions in ‘N’ Adaptations,” where the N stands for infinite—as if the acronym wasn’t enough of a stretch already. It’s a fancy way to summarize a way of thinking about how cars will be shaped, manufactured, and used by their owners in the future. The Light Visionary Model (LVM) is a physical manifestation of this idea, and features some innovative—and out there—approaches to making the philosophy a reality.