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2002 Rinspeed Presto Concept

2002 Rinspeed Presto Concept

2002 Rinspeed Presto Concept

The Rinspeed Presto transforms itself in a few seconds from a two-seater roadster into a 3.7-meter long four-seater with plenty of room for the rear-seat passengers. The additional space can also be used as a pick-up bed for cargo when the rear-seat backrests are folded down.

This almost magical transformation is made possible by a centrally located electric motor, which stretches the vehicle with the help of two mechanical screw-and-nut gears by exactly 746 millimeters to its full extended length of 3.74 meters. The longitudinal members run on low-friction precision rollers and disappear like a drawer in the rear of the floor pan. Despite its variable length the engineers succeeded in designing the adjustable Presto floor pan with the torsional rigidity necessary for a roadster. To ensure absolute operational safety the extension mechanism also features self-locking safety latches.

A four-cylinder, 1.7-liter common-rail turbo diesel engine in dual-fuel configuration, based on a Mercedes-Benz engine, provides future-oriented and highly environmentally friendly propulsion. The engine runs on a mixture of natural gas and Diesel fuel at a 40 to 60 ratio. Natural gas is a very clean-burning fuel, which consists almost entirely of methane with sulfur content near zero. However, since a Diesel engine has no spark plug to act as an ignition source, operation on natural gas alone is technically impossible.

In Detail

submitted by Richard Owen
engine Duel Fuwl, MB 170, Inline-4
aspiration Turbocharged
valvetrain DOHC, 4 Valves per Cyl
displacement 1689 cc / 103.1 in³
bore 80 mm / 3.15 in
stroke 84 mm / 3.31 in
power 89.5 kw / 120.0 bhp @ 4200 rpm
specific output 71.05 bhp per litre
bhp/weight bhp per tonne
torque 224 nm / 165.2 ft lbs
body / frame Composite over Steel Chassis
driven wheels FWD
front tires 205/50-17
rear tires 235/45-17
front brakes Discs
f brake size x 276 mm / x 10.9 in
rear brakes Discs
r brake size x 258 mm / x 10.2 in
curb weight 865 kg / 1907 lbs
wheelbase 1750 mm / 68.9 in
front track 1507 mm / 59.3 in
rear track 1580 mm / 62.2 in
length 2996 mm / 118.0 in
width 1847 mm / 72.7 in
height 1375 mm / 54.1 in
transmission 5-Speed Automatic
gear ratios :1
top speed ~180 kph / 111.8 mph
0 – 60 mph ~10.4 seconds