Rinspeed

Saturday August 2, 2003: Based on the Porsche 996 turbo, the Bedouin is the latest concept from Rinspeed Design, the Swiss company that introduced the Presto collapsible concept car in 2002. The all-wheel-drive Bedouin can automatically be transformed from a two-seater pick-up into a four-seater sports wagon in less than 10 seconds.  Read More

The Rinspeed Splash Amphibious Hydrofoil Sportscar previewed by Gizmo in December 2003 was unveiled to the world at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show - the Splash is capable of 80 kmh (approx. 45 knots) on the water and 200 kmh on land. The design is yet another concept from Swiss creative studio Rinspeed, whose concept designs have graced the pages of Gizmo several times in our short history. In 2002 it was the Presto, a collapsible car which turned from a four seat convertible to a two-seater at the press of a button. Then, last August Rinspeed showed the Bedouin, an off-road vehicle capable of extending and retracting just like the Presto. In early January this year we showed the CAD drawings of the Splash and now the car has been unveiled, the tenth Rinspeed concept car and the most outrageous to date.  Read More

Swiss company Rinspeed aims to solve Europe's parking problems with the Rinspeed Presto collapsible car, a compact two-seater roadster that can expand itself into a four-seater with the push of a button. The key to this miraculous transformation is a centrally located electric motor that is geared to stretch the vehicle from a length of 3 meters to 3.7 meters using low-friction precision rollers to expand the main longitudinal struts of the steel chassis. When returning to Roadster mode, this slides back into the floor pan 'like a drawer' and the process is clearly visible from the Remus side pipes which track along grooves on the side panels of the Pre-Preg-Composite plastic body - a strong, lightweight material rarely used in car design because of its prohibitive cost.  Read More