Pontiac Rev
Take a "rally" sports coupe, mix in the versatility to carry friends and cargo and you arrive at the Pontiac REV, a bold, athletic concept with a go-anywhere attitude.
The REV is as capable and surefooted on smooth, twisty pavement as it is on the dirt trail headed to a favorite getaway. All-wheel-drive and on-the-fly adjustable suspension give it traction on all sorts of surfaces.
"Inspired by the flexibility and performance of rally cars, REV is equally at home on trails and asphalt," said Phil Zak, 35, Brand Character Chief Designer for Pontiac.
Under the front hinged clamshell hood sits a transverse mounted 3.0-liter, 245 horsepower OHC V6. The electronic sequential manual transmission with automatic mode smoothly shifts through five speeds with a sequential "joystick" operated by wire. "It’s almost like a video game," Zak said.
The adjustable suspension allows the car to be raised two inches when the going gets rough. Wide 19-inch wheels in front and 20-inchers in the rear expose large ventilated disc brakes and high performance calipers.
"REV’s look is that of high-tech sporting goods - fenders and rocker panels are made from ultra-tough composite material that extends into the wheel wells, under the hood and to the deck lid," said Adam Barry, 24, lead designer of the show car. "Interior and exterior are truly integrated through shared materials, colors and forms."
The front fender form sweeps around into the interior, to become the support for the dashboard, creating a distictive front door shutline, one of the cars eye-catching feature lines. "Every line on the car has a functional purpose" said Phil Zak.
The rear fender feature line is also the opening for the rear hatch, which laps over the rear fenders in an unusual arrangement, which blurs the distinction between exterior and interior.
The combined lift- and tailgate gives access to the cargo area, which offers room for a mountain of sporting equipment. The lower gate, including the characteristic, wide taillamp comprised of 660 LED’s, swings down behind the rear bumper in a parallel action for ease of loading and unloading.
The clamshell glass liftgate swings up and reveals storage bins in the upper portions of the rear fenders. These storage areas are covered by the hatch when closed, but appear to be 'on the exterior' when the hatch is open. It's an interesting arrangement, which brings up the possibility that one could wash out these storage bins with a hose, something not usually possible on the 'interior' of a vehicle!
Four radios with integrated GPS receivers ride along there in special cradles. They can be removed quickly to keep driver and passengers in touch with each other and the car when they hit the trail. An integrated first aid kit and a toolbox are also on standby if needed.
The built-in roof rack holds items such as mountain bikes and cleverly conceals the retractable sunroof.
