Extreme Concepts
Italdesign Giugiaro Namir
How's this for a wedge-shaped hybrid? Italdesign's Giugiaro Namir, built in conjunction with Frazer Nash of England, is said to be the fastest yet most environmentally friendly hybrid in the world. Just how fast? Try 186 mph, with an ability to reach 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. The Namir is clearly just a concept, and we have no information on the type of gasoline engine it will have. But we do know this: It has a carbon-fiber chassis, and that wild Giugiaro body is made of aluminum and carbon fiber.
Rinspeed iChange
Swiss automotive firm Rinspeed sees its iChange as a vehicle that symbolizes the coming global challenges to personal mobility. To that end, the iChange is a high-performance electric vehicle whose 204-hp motor propels it to 100 km/h (62 mph) in "slightly over 4 seconds," with a top speed of 137 mph. Better yet, at the touch of a button, this teardrop-shaped 1-seater expands to seat three. And get this: An Apple iPhone is used to control many of the car's functions!
Aston Martin One-77
Aston Martin's chairman, Dr. Ulrich Bez, says the One-77 is inspired by the cars in the German DTM touring car series. And it is essentially a race car, with a carbon-fiber chassis developed by Multimatic. Beneath the skin, the One-77 has fully adjustable pushrod suspension and a 7.3-liter V-12 engine that produces 700 horsepower. Imagine that, in a car that weighs only 3300 lb. Top speed is pegged well above 200 mph, and the car hits 60 in 3.5 seconds. On top of it all, buyers of the One-77 get to design their own bodies. Now that's a concept!
