Friday, July 2, 2010
Former F1 engineer unveils new Efficient City Car
The former Formula One engineer who created the iconic McLaren F1 supercar has officially unveiled the T.25 -- his idea for a new class of city car.
Murray and his team based in Shalford, south east England, have been working on the design for the past three years and, until now, have kept the exact details of the car firmly under wraps.
The car made its first public appearance on Monday at the UK's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford.
At less than eight feet long and a little over four feet wide, the T.25 is smaller than Daimler AG's popular Smart car, and a petrol engine model will retail for around $9,000.
The centralized driving position -- also a feature of Murray's McLaren F1 -- and central instrumentation and controls are perhaps its most obvious traits borrowed from Formula One.
Others might not be so easy to spot, but they are no less important to the overall design.
The T.25 is light, weighing in at just 550 kilograms, helping it achieve a fuel efficiency of around 74 miles per gallon.
A chassis design based on "Formula One derived materials, philosophy and technology" provides an "immensely strong structure," says Murray and body panels are also easier to replace in the event of damage.
A flat under-floor design also improves overall aerodynamics.
One thing the car most definitely does not share with an F1 car is its turning circle, which at six-meters a Smart car's is nearly nine meters, a BMW Mini's over ten makes it highly maneuverable in an urban setting.
The T.25's also has an electric cousin, the T.27, which Murray says will have a range of 80-100 miles and cost around $18,000.
Labels:
electric car,
green car
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