Automotive

Rinspeed goes retro with beach-friendly BamBoo

Rinspeed goes retro with beach-friendly BamBoo
The RinSpeed BamBoo
The RinSpeed BamBoo
View 2 Images
The RinSpeed BamBoo
1/2
The RinSpeed BamBoo
The RinSpeed BamBoo
2/2
The RinSpeed BamBoo

There’s no doubt the folk at Rinspeed like to think outside the box when it comes to its concept cars – you need look no further than the sQuba diving concept car for confirmation of that. The latest design from Rinspeed founder Frank M. Rinderknecht, however, looks to step back inside the box with a design that harks back to the 1970s. The BamBoo, which won’t be officially revealed until the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, is a stripped-back vehicle that Rinspeed itself describes as resembling a “grown-up golf cart”.

Much like the venerable Mini Moke before it, Rinspeed wants to attract the beachgoers with the four-seater BamBoo’s no frills, open-top design. The front-wheel drive vehicle is driven by a Fräger electric motor providing a maximum power output of 54 kW and 140 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. It can accelerate from 0–50 km/h (31 mph) in 4.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) and its lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack provides a range of around 105 km (65 miles) at 90 km/h.

The vehicle’s chassis is composed of steel and composite Ticona, while, in keeping with its name, many of the interior components are made from bamboo fibers. Weighing around 1,090 kg (2,403 lb), the vehicle measures 3.89 m long x 1.62 m wide x 1.61 m high (12.8 x 5.3 x 5.3 ft).

4 comments
4 comments
phydeaux
I had a difficult time thinking there could be an uglier vehicle than the Pontiac Aztek.
Bruce Williams
Hmmm, one of those \"It\'s so ugly it\'s cute\" kind of cars. Actually I like it...a lot. It quite nicely fills the gap between a neighborhood electric vehicle, limited 25 mph (and the neighborhood usually) and a larger car. As long as the price isn\'t ridiculous, it might be a winner.
NickHD
Love the look, the Mini Moke is back - in bamboo... But then you look at the last paragraph in this piece and see the weight - over a ton - with no onboard charging system. The steel chassis may be part of that, but significant shaving will have to be accomplished if the current (pun intended), range is to be extended into something practical.
Mr Stiffy
I like this - while it\'s not as gay as the Ducati motorcycle, it\'s dorky but in a good functional way.
I suppose the kerb weight has something to do with it being electric and having a belly full of batteries...
I\'d like to see a much lighter version of it tho.... and very aerodynamic.