[Live image update] Frazer-Nash Namir by Giugiaro: World’s fastest plug-in hybrid
03/03/2009, 12:53 PM
By Nick Aziz
Hybrid technology developer Frazer-Nash Research teamed up with Turin, Italy-based design firm Italdesign Giugiaro to bring a new concept car – the Namir – to Geneva Motor Show. The vehicle is a plug-in hybrid with a zero to 62 mph time of 3.5 seconds, top speed of 187 mph, and a range of 1,200 miles.
The car has two brushless DC electric motors: one to power the front wheels and one to power the rear wheels. Overall power developed is 370 horsepower, while fuel efficiency is an estimated 92 miles per gallon. The sprint from zero to 124 mph is accomplished in just 10.4 seconds, according to the companies. Like the performance-oriented Tesla Roadster, the Namir has no gears.
Like the Chevrolet Volt and Fisker Karma, the Namir is a plug-in hybrid, meaning it has a small gasoline motor that acts as a generator to provide needed electricity when the batteries are depleted. The cells used are of the lithium-polymer variety, which happen to have the highest energy density of any batteries currently on the market. The gas motor is a endothermic rotary engine with just 814 cc displacement, making it one of the smallest and most efficient motors to date in a plug-in hybrid.
The name “Namir” is Arabic for “Tiger” — a title Frazer-Nash and Giugiaro felt was a suitable descriptor for the car. The name “sums up the main features of the concept car: elegance and power, aggressiveness and litheness of lines,” Giugiaro said in a press release.
The four-wheel powered drivetrain is fully electric with a digital differential. Software manages the power load to the motors as needed, according to driving and road conditions, making use of all the electronic control systems used in mass-produced vehicles: ABS, cruise control, and stability control. The car is practical, too, with a 400-litre trunk capable of accommodating four suitcases and a golf bag.
The structure consists of a monocoque chassis made from carbon-fibre, further augmented with honeycomb panels that enclose the mechanical components. The total frame weight is said to be just 242 pounds — without compromising strength, rigidity or safety.
The companies say the car on display in Geneva is a fully-operational prototype.
03/03, 1:20 AM
posted by:
Need more crap from GM
I don’t carethat its a no namer, it don’t care that looks like a McLaren F1 raped a Koenigsegg to create a dwarf size lovechild. It’s fast, it’s sexy, it’s got stripes & it’s a hybrid. YES PLEASE!!!
03/03, 1:22 AM
posted by:
Andre Neves
Eh, nothing special IMO.
Looks like a cross between a Pontiac Banshee Concept(from the 80s) and a Lamborghini Reventon(rear). I also kind of see a slight hint of Vector W8 / W12.
Anyone see this or do I just need another XL coffee?
03/03, 2:01 AM
posted by:
MurcieMe
WOW. I love this. It’s been a long time since Giugiaro came out with something as striking as this. Yes, I can admit it’s not the most original of ideas – the Lambo-like wedge shape and the various sharp creases etc. But this is incredibly artful.
03/03, 3:30 AM
posted by:
fan
looks sweet… for sure gonna cost lamborghini some customers… if it comes out
03/03, 5:01 AM
posted by:
KuroSyn
Gugiaro hmmmm… you constantly have quite a design cue… though I have to be honest, this has to be one of your most unoriginal design cues yet. Nothing special, nothing that pops out and screams I’m the designer and the master. But nonetheless, beautiful, nice car though.
03/03, 1:10 PM
posted by:
Borat
Based on technology description this is revolutionary. I believe all serial hybrids use 1 electric motor. This one has motor for each axle. This gives possibilities: cruising on 1 motor if there is a clutch and using non-propelling motor as a generator during braking. Imagine braking power before even brakes applied?
03/03, 1:35 PM
posted by:
orangecones
Looks alright, very Lambo-esque. But its really not about the looks, its about the technology. If i can go that fast with a trunk full of stuff for 1000 miles on about 11 gallons…..the only questions I have is how soon? and how much?
03/03, 2:50 PM
posted by:
Ketzer
They should have been working on this ten years ago.
I bet it won’t be available ten years from now.
03/03, 3:28 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
Amazing that all these plug in Hybrid hot-rods are crawling out of the woodwork out yet the major manufacturers can’t even make a plug in that does 0-60 in ~10 and tops out at 95 with a range of 200 miles.
03/03, 3:31 PM
posted by:
SHOspeed
Wow, talk about some amazing technology! It really looks quite interesting but you know they are really only testing the technology and the drive train in this vehicle and if it went to production it would look nothing like this.
03/03, 7:10 PM
posted by:
Vroom
I like the nice front end and the big bOObies.
03/04, 12:11 AM
posted by:
Das Stig
The “Namir”?… That’s Arabic for “Tiger”
Anyhow, I think the styling is very good, but the idea of it just doesn’t work for me. If anything, it should’ve been a supercar with a V10 engine and a noise that can blow off eardrums. Nice car, though.
03/06, 8:02 PM
posted by:
Gundy
Frazer-Nash?! Why have I never heard of this company before, and, they’re obviously related to the original Frazer company? Anyone know? The old Frazers and Manhattans and those? And, everyone knows Nash, is this the same old bathtub-bodied car maker Nash?
04/02, 4:44 PM
posted by:
GMmalvado
Didn’t Giugiaro work with Toyota to make some concept car that looks remarkably like this (at least from certain angles)?
But that was like 5+ years ago. And it still looks the same.
Hmmmm maybe it was Pininfarina… id remember.
lol oh well it still looks good.