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 |
Keyword: 2002 Rinspeed Presto Concept