In accession to a image of Modern , commercial vehicles , regular visitors to motor show have come to expect something a small more exciting . There ’s an increase demand for car maker to unveil innovative , spendthrift and sometimes manner - out conception cars – vehicles that are not quite quick for aggregative production but offer a thrilling insight into what might be rolling off the product line in the future . The debut of a new concept car give up producer the opportunity to test out radical pattern , body build , substitute power sourcesor new control systems , all without needing to occupy about the costs or feasibility of mass output .
In this article , HowStuffWorks take away a look at Toyota’sMTRCconcept car , which the auto maker revealed at the74th Geneva International Motor Showin March 2004 . As well as examining its radical - New breaking ball , we ’ll see how it really crusade the limits of current technology .
Looks, Looks, Looks
Over the years , Toyota has become renowned for producing futurist and striking concept cars , and the designers at Toyota ’s European Design Studio , ED2 , worked to ensure that the Motor Triathlon Race Car ( MTRC ) continues this drift . Its sleek , pod - alike consistence press up image of a 1950s garden rocket ship – even the seats have been mounted one behind the other to make the vehicle asslimas possible .
Four cycle and a semi - circular nose cone protrude from the central seedcase , with headlamps and other accessories mount on or flush to the surface of the lustrous , alloy torso . In the moving-picture show below , you’re able to see that the doorway open up wealthy to the side of the car , in keeping with the aerodynamic theme of the MTRC .
The cockpit itself is altogether receptive , with only a minimal windscreen to protect the occupants from the element . At the rear of the railcar is a large , curving looter , providingaerodynamic stabilityas well as a counterpoint to the front nose cone shape . Of course , the mollycoddler also adds a touch ofstyleto the design , as does the key , mounted tail light in the shape of the Toyota logo .
Not everyone ’s unfounded about the MTRC ’s ultra - modern bender – various journalist have identify it as an pontifical toy dog cable car , while Top Gear magazine complains that it ’s still not indisputable which end ’s the front . But then , the MTRC was project to make an stamp , and that ’s precisely what it has done .
It would be leisurely to imagine that the MTRC ’s look are the most innovative matter about it , but there ’s far more to the MTRC than meets the eye . Even for a concept car , the MTRC is technologically modern .
A Closer Look Inside
Toyota describes the MTRC as a futuristicrace railway car concept , and it has been design specifically to showcase Toyota ’s three independent strength :
Let ’s take a close look at how Toyota has focused on each of these strength .
The MTRC features not one but four separateelectric motors , one in each wheel , all powered byhydrogen fuel cellsto ensurezero emissions . The MTRC is certainly environmentally favorable – no gasoline intend no exhaust smoke . The only thing add up out of the MTRC exhaust is water .
The power to insure four separate , steering wheel - free-base motors gives the MTRC an unprecedented level of control , and the fomite has a whole range of features aimed squarely at making maximal habit of those motors . An electronically controlledsuspensionsystem perpetually supervise road condition , adjust the performance of the car to match the external environment . The vehicle ’s futuristic - lookingtiresare also more than just show – ramp up - in sensor adjust the tires to the route airfoil , ascertain maximum grip .
The open - wheeled look of the MTRC is nothing new for Toyota . It clearly draws on the carmaker ’s experience with theFormula Toyotaseries of racing vehicles .
The whole trunk of the MTRC works to control flow of air , and betteraerodynamic efficiencymeans higher speeding and enhanced constancy .
Mixed Reality
While the engineering build into the MTRC already sounds sensational , there ’s more . Working with motor parts supplierDensoand electronics giantCanon , Toyota has developed what it call " Mixed Reality " technology . What is it ?
We all get it on that there are times you could apply aco - pilot– someone to give you a heads - up and ensure you get where you ’re going . Driving ’s a complicated business : You not only have to keep on top of what ’s happening right now , but you also have to foresee what could be coming up .
The Mixed Reality technology is design specifically to assist with this situation . Both the number one wood and the passenger fatigue a specialhelmet , the end of which is to avail process information and present it to the occupants in an understandable , unionised style . Besides the usual , actual info we ’re all familiar with – speed or temperature , for example – the Mixed Reality system adjudicate topredict succeeding road circumstance . mesh electronically with the car ’s systems , it supply a constant flow of information between car and driver : road temperature , tyre status or the presence of glass or C , for example . The ultimate finish is to help the driver voyage the route and assure the car more safely and with corking accuracy than ever before .
If it sounds like something out of a video biz , then you wo n’t be surprised to discover out where Toyota drew some of its breathing in for this remarkable vehicle …
A Virtual Driving Experience
construct cars may be fun , but there ’s something a small frustrating about them . Your first reaction might well be amazement , but in reality , you ’re unable to do the one affair that would make the construct car experience perfect : hop in behind the wheel and give it a go .
One of the most popular racing game available at the present moment is the latest in theGran Turismoseries . The games are notable for their realistic depictions of the treatment and expression of a huge range of vehicle . Gran Turismo 4 includes an unprecedented level of contingent – and the Toyota MTRC .
Kazunori Yamauchi , the creator of Gran Turismo , describes the unconscious process of extract the technology from a futuristic railway car as an " exciting experience . " It ’s clear-cut that another important influence for Toyota in designing the MTRC is the young multiplication , in whichmobile phones , telecasting games and other pieces of cutting - sharpness technology are an crucial part of everyday life . Using youth - based technology as an brainchild has provided Toyota with a rise to its already active image : Toyota has acquire valuable advertising with a young generation of gamers – a generation that will become the next expectant mass of railway car purchaser .
So we sleep with the MTRC has made its unveiling on PS2 screens everywhere . The next interrogation is : When will it make it onto the road in existent life . Just how viable are the technologies Toyota showcases in this construct machine ?
The truth of the topic is that the MTRC is improbable to be produced . The fomite itself is more of an opportunity to show originative applied science , cutting - edge design and a signified of fun than a realistic endeavor to design a aggregate - producible fomite . Its practical appearance on Gran Turismo 4 is the closest this concept will come to world .
However , in the same way that the first - ever construct car ply GM with a riches of raw idea , the engineering personify in the MTRC ’s sleek racing shell will undoubtedly regulate Toyota ’s designs for the future tense .
For more information on the Toyota MTRC and other concept cars , check out the link on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
MTRC Technical Specifications
When it comes to technical specification , the MTRC is tricky to pin down . Its basic physical attribute are simply a matter of measure out . Other specifications , however , are more complex . Toyota have not yet release details of the car ’s performance on the route . Top speeds , acceleration andfuel efficiencyremain a mystery and , in all likeliness , will stay that way . A vehicle like the MTRC utilizes engineering that are still experimental and unlikely to provide the perfect functioning Toyota would like us to see .
Here ’s what we do do it :
check over out the next pageboy for more articles about concept car and future machine applied science .
