Concept models of the Mercedes-Benz Bionic car join the illustrious list of vehicles - such as the Jaguar E-Type roadster, Cisitalia 202 GT and the Smart car - displayed at New York's Museum of Modern Art in recent times.
Appearing as part of the "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition, which showcases innovations in the fields of design and science and illustrates the dramatic changes in aspects of human life witnessed in recent decades, the exhibition presents a series of exhibits which highlight the rapid pace of development and focuses on innovative design solutions.
Unveiled in June 2005, the Bionic car was developed by designers, engineers and biologists working hand in hand. Its template was a sea dweller from tropical latitudes: Ostracion Cubicus - more commonly known as the boxfish.
Despite its unusual-looking shape, the fish is extremely aerodynamic and can therefore move using a minimal amount of energy. It is also able to withstand high pressures and, thanks to an outer skin consisting of hexagonal bone plates, can survive unscathed following collisions with corals or other sea dwellers. In free flow, its body has an outstandingly low cd value of 0.06. These characteristics are also ideal ingredients for a car designed to achieve the best possible levels of energy efficiency and passenger safety.
The result is a two-door vehicle with four individual seats and a drop-shaped design that is 4243mm long, 1815mm wide and 1594mm high. With a drag coefficient of 0.19, the Mercedes-Benz Bionic car is one of the world's most aerodynamic compact cars in its class. Today, this figure still stands as a benchmark for the aerodynamic optimization of car bodies.
The exhibition will be open to the public until May 12, 2008.
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What's New: Mercedes-Benz Bionic car
MoMA - Design and the Elastic Mind Exhibition
