BMW's new stretch-fabric sports car that changes shape with the flick of a switch
13 Jun 2008, 1514 Hrs

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Melbourne, June 13 (ANI): BMW has unveiled a fabric-covered car that can change its shape at the flick of a switch and it is the inspiration for propeller-badged cars both current and future.

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. The headlights, for example, are hidden until switched on, when the fabric at the front of the car prises apart on either side of the signature double-kidney grille to reveal the double lamps. Indicator and taillights simply shine through the translucent fabric cover, The Age reported. If the engine needs to be accessed, the bonnet can be unzipped down the middle to create a half-metre-wide gap. Some body changes are automatic. For improved aerodynamics at higher speeds, the Gina roadster will generate extra downforce by deploying a rear spoiler. The two-seater research car isn't just responsible for BMW's controversial convex-concave (flame surfacing) design language on current models. The two-seater's minimalist interior also led to polarising iDrive menu controller system. (ANI)