Toyota Sportivo coupe concept. Click for larger images
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Mar 22, 2004 – Melbourne is the headquarters of the Australian automotive industry and local car designers used the opening of the city’s annual motor show earlier this month to demonstrate their increasing confidence and capabilities.
A ground-up concept from Toyota Style Australia, two low-volume sports cars backed by Holden and an ambitious supercar from newcomer Joss all added to Australia’s growing reputation for developing world-class product quickly and on a shoe-string budget.
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Toyota Sportivo Coupe
The Toyota Sportivo Coupe is the second concept from Toyota’s embryonic Australian design division and was developed from a blank sheet of paper to finished concept in just 30 weeks. The vehicle was designed entirely in CAD straight to prototype tooling, bypassing clay models.
The design team, led by 29 year-old Nick Hogios (exterior) and Pete Jones (interior), used input from 14 to 18 year-olds to create a car which provides a unique insight into the personal mobility priorities of the next generation of car buyers.
Among the innovations is the replacement of a conventional licence plate and number with a digital driver's I.D. This allows governments and regulatory bodies the opportunity to deal directly with the person responsible for the operation of the vehicle regarding speeding fines, toll charges and even parking fines.
An innovative electronic speedometer relies on signals from speed advisory signs to display the speed limit at all times in the car, with the speedometer re-configuring itself with the new limit positioned at the 12 o’clock position for instant and easy visual reference.
Mobile telephone and GPS technology enables the driver to keep in touch and meet with friends via a portable touch screen tablet.
The Sportivo Coupe features extensive use of glass panels and dihedral doors that hinge upwards as well as outward. The concept is based on the medium-large Camry platform but its real size is visually disguised by 21-inch wheels and large wheel-arch fairings. Inside the proportions ensure plenty of room for four.
Toyota's Australian-built 2.4-litre VVT-i engine has been turbocharged to produce around 180kW of power driving through all four wheels.
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Elfin MS8 Streamliner and Clubman
A left-field surprise presented by the increasingly confident Holden, the unveiling of the Elfin MS8 Streamliner and Clubman siblings is an attempt to update the minimalist sportscar genre invented by Lotus with the Seven.
The two cars, which share chassis and drive-train, were designed by a Holden team led by Monaro/Pontiac GTO designer Mike Simcoe.
The chassis and suspension were developed by Elfin, a Melbourne-based ultra-low volume sportscar manufacturer which a few years ago resurrected the name of a famous line of road and racecars that won numerous championships in Australia in the 1960s and 70s.
The twist is that under the bonnet of both cars are not the usual four cylinders, but Holden’s Chevrolet sourced 5.7 litre Gen 111 V8 producing 245 kW. The result is a power-to-weight ratio of 3.57kg/kW (for the Clubman) and an estimated 0-100 km/h time of about 3.5 seconds.
Mike Simcoe says the Elfin project is a great example of Holden’s design flexibility. “It demonstrates our capacity to create niche designs for hand-built enthusiast vehicles and once again underlines our ability to turn a concept into reality fairly quickly,” said Simcoe.
“The Clubman is stronger and more aggressive than the original, but retains the raw, open appeal of this vehicle style,” he explains. “Its long-nosed, large dash to axle proportion is of course dictated by the powertrain – that’s what these designs are all about. Front and rear overhangs are very short, the stripped-down look is accentuated by the visible suspension componentry and those side pods house the exhaust.”
“The Streamliner takes the same mechanical underpinnings and interprets them in a sleeker, yet time-honoured sports body,” Simcoe continued. “It’s the closed wheel, traditional front-engined sports car form that’s typical of the open cabin racers of the 50s. There’s a real tension in the wheel arch and fender surfaces, and the closed body really emphasises the front-end proportional style.”
Elfin will manufacture the cars using drivetrains supplied by Holden and says it has already taken eight orders – all from Holden executives! New Holden boss Denny Mooney says the company won’t make any money out of the project but says: “sometimes in this business you’ve got to have fun.”
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JOSS Super Car
The JOSS Super Car is a brave attempt by a bunch of talented unknowns to add a new name to supercar pantheon of Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren et al. The designer and driving force behind the new marque is 33 year-old Matt Thomas – a former aerodynamicist with the Stewart F1 team.
The car features classic mid-engined proportions and styling, but with the addition of considerable attention to underbody aerodynamics. In a similar way to the McLaren F1, the rear diffuser removes the need for any kind of wing or spoiler. The doors have vortex generators incorporated into their lower edges to further increase downforce.
Power comes from a unique 6.8 litre aluminium V8 developed by a Melbourne engineering firm and exclusive to the JOSS. The engine delivers 350kW at 5,750rpm and a massive torque figure of 650Nm at 2,800rpm.
The aerodynamic body is built up using composite carbon fibre, kevlar, GRP and honeycomb. The space-frame chassis is constructed of composite aluminium and honeycomb steel. The carbon fibre is manufactured using a new, less expensive, method developed by an Australian company.
The overall weight of the JOSS Super Car is a mere 940kg giving a power to weight ratio of 2.68kg/kW. JOSS Developments is now looking for investors, but Thomas says even if they aren’t forthcoming the car will go into production.
Melbourne Motor Show website: www.motorshow.com.au
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