I think it's a smart approach, and the results look beautiful so far.

It would be unpleasant if some arsehole keyed your car though, or you found someone had punctured it in a car park. And if you've got to iron the thing after you come out of the car wash, count me out.

Quote from NitroNitrous :

Agree.

BTW, you can wash this car in your washing machine, it´s easier to clean than normal cars

If so a shot of dreft ore Omo would do it(dutch clothes washing pouder brands)
Ore vanish colour

But what material would this stuf be becaus it needs to ristand the excaust heat
not to manchion the engine heat

damn... i wanted to post it in the "what am i" topic...

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

If it worked with WWII fighter planes, I am more than sure they will be able to get it to work with a car.

You got your world wars mixed up.

Quote from wark :

You got your world wars mixed up.

As someone already pointed out, the Hawker Hurricane had a cloth skin.

Quote from Bob Smith :

You realise that BMW started life as an aeroplane manufacturer? And they are, after all, German? I'm sure they're well used to dealing with being/having their products shot at.

BMW made engines, not the aircraft themselves. German aircraft were made by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, Messerschmitt, Focke-Wulf, Heinkel, Junkers, Henschel, Dornier, and Arado among others.

Not that this has any bearing on the discussion.

I think the whole concept of a cloth skin has huge potential. What we saw in the video was just a bit of experimentation.

Quote from Lateralus :

BMW made engines, not the aircraft themselves.

So Williams made the planes?

Quote from thisnameistaken :

So Williams made the planes?

Exactly. They built the planes used to bomb clearings in the southeast of England upon which were built the Williams F1 factory buildings.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

As someone already pointed out, the Hawker Hurricane had a cloth skin.

well im sure theres a reason almost no one knows it... and judging from pics at wiki only the tail section was wraped in cloth which should have much less problems with turbulent and fast moving air (like say a wing or a bonnet which if badly built from sturdy materials often has a tendency to lift off never mind cloth thats wraped loosely enough to be non fromstable as seen in the video)

Quote from Shotglass :

well im sure theres a reason almost no one knows it... and judging from pics at wiki only the tail section was wraped in cloth which should have much less problems with turbulent and fast moving air

I think later on they did use metal on the wings, but originally the whole thing was covered with cloth. The reason they used cloth was apparently because the plane was based on Hawker's old biplane design.

It better be durable, at highway speeds those small stones do cause quite heavy impacts on small areas and I imagine it could break the surface causing the whole skin to tear apart. Another concern is reaction to different chemicals.

I know it's just a concept based around the idea of flexible design, but I don't think current technology has suitable materials for making it possible in a way that would actually work in mass production.

Doesn't seem really practical idea for normal daily cars. Moisture, dirt, temperature, sunlight all do nasty things for cloths.

Quote from Hyperactive :

Doesn't seem really practical idea for normal daily cars. Moisture, dirt, temperature, sunlight all do nasty things for cloths.

They could use Kevlar. Kevlar is remarkably awesome, due to it being 50% Kev.

So what happens when rocks hit it or someone try's to "key" it? You'd end up having to pay a crap load to buy a new skin..

That is really cool tho...kinda amazing how the engine open's up and the brake/headlights work.

Quote from scoobyrbac :

So what happens when rocks hit it or someone try's to "key" it? You'd end up having to pay a crap load to buy a new skin.

You could take it to nearest sweatshop and have those nice little kids sew it for you.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

They could use Kevlar. Kevlar is remarkably awesome, due to it being 50% Kev.

Kevlar rapidly degrades under UV light, so you'd need an extra layer on the Kevlar to block out UV light, which adds to weight and cost.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

They could use Kevlar. Kevlar is remarkably awesome, due to it being 50% Kev.

and 75% lard

Quote from P5YcHoM4N :

Kevlar rapidly degrades under UV light, so you'd need an extra layer on the Kevlar to block out UV light, which adds to weight and cost.

Or just supply a big tub of sunblock with it.

Quote from Shotglass :

and 75% lard

I'm about as scrawny as can be.

id like a car with that kind of lights , but i think the skin could be damaged too easly

I think it's quite a nice looking car. What would they do for the roof tho just have abit that stretches over.

Woot, that's amazing. IDK how can it be AS SAFE AS metal. BMW powah!

I dunno it might be novel in car terms, but when I look at it I instantly thought of Hussein Chalayan's work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJD2xlVcgRI

and btw isn't it a bit silly to say a concept car is not practical, it's not even a styling exercise, it's a full blown concept.

I can't help thinking the kids in the street will have a blast, ripping the new Beemer to shreds with a pocketknife.

Quote from Töki (HUN) :

Woot, that's amazing. IDK how can it be AS SAFE AS metal.

What makes it safe is the metal that is under the cloth.

The reason they went to a monocoque construction was lightness, stiffness and strength. The skin is a stressed member, in tension and compression.

So, when they say "what is the skin for", it provides around 80% of the strength of a car, but only about 30% of the weight. That sounds quite important to me...

I think it's a silly concept, and nothing more.

Pictures

Quote from tristancliffe :

I think it's a silly concept, and nothing more.

Same