Monday, June 30, 2008

Gina is a Gorgeous Shape Shifter








No , Gina ain't some transvestite off the streets (no offense though) , mind you.

But
a revolutionary concept car
that has helped shaped all of the current generation of dramatic
'Flame Surfacing' BMWs for the last 7 years.


And yes, it has taken Gina a full 7 years to come out of the closet... :p


Chris Bangle, the chief designer of the new wave BMWs, has the type of industry-wake-up call vision quite like non other in quite a while.

Who can ignore the controversial 7-Series, the viper-esque 1-Series and the bullish 6- Series?

They are at once jarring as they are pleasing to the aesthetic senses.


With odd proportions, strategically placed ridge lines all over as if carved out of stone by millions of years of wind or water erosion and cleverly dissecting panel gaps, the BMWs of today, are icons of maverick.


And one look at Gina and one can see where the genetic oddities came from.


But Gina is more than being a design mother ship.



This car is a headliner because , get this , she is a space frame car wrapped in fabric.

Of course, it ain't the normal fixed space frame we have in our cars, but one that has movable components that help morph the high tech fabric swathed over the outside.

What this means is that
we have a car that morphs in shape.


No panel gaps. No transformer here. Instead...

Everything is shape-shifting.


Like a giant reptilian-being, the doors open up like mysterious arms, the headlights 'blink' open like an awakened beast. The rear spoiler protrudes up perkier when speed numbers go illegal. When it needs to breathe more, the nostrils can flare up bigger . Even the steering wheel, gear knob and all other controls within and the seats form out of no where to engage your position within. Kinky at best, alien trap at worst.

For the first time in history,
FORM DOES MEET FUNCTION. AND FUNCTION MEETS FORM.




And one can only stare in awe at this magnificent car as light pings onto its surface and flows into liquid...

Emotional. Indeed.
Q

1 comment:

Q said...

For more detailed information and to view the exclusive video where Chris Bangle himself , waxes lyrical about Gina and her revolutionary abilities, visit:

http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/
3300.asp?id=13808

Q ... cool. ^^