There are so many hayabusa powered creations these days it’s hard to keep up and now, here’s one more. The Acabion GTBO, shown in prototype form at the Geneva Auto Show and looking like some super future vehicle designed to work on those swoopy elevated highways we might have seen in an old science fiction movie or Popular Science drawings about 50 years ago. In this case, the designer, an ex Mercedes, Porsche and BMW engineer, encloses a Hayabusa engine in a slippery pod shaped body, calculates horsepower,weight and drag coefficients and comes up with some fantastic numbers:
A total weight of 359 kg combined with an engine power of 360 hp enables the Acabion to exceed 1000 hp per ton of vehicle-weight. It achieves an electronically limited 280 mph with just 50% of its engine power, accelerating from 180 mph to 280 mph in approximately 10 seconds, which is impossible even for Formula 1 cars. Even with such a performance it consumes 5 to 10 times less fuel than a state of the art two-seater supercar. More than this, cruising at a constant speed, e.g. 120 mph, it is so efficient that it even consumes half the amount of fuel than a 2006 high-tech diesel compact-car.
Besides the extreme performance, this vehicle has electric power for those in town jaunts while running in zero emission mode and it has a computer network
providing a high-tech modular structure and storage capacity in a multi-terrabyte region. All Acabions are conceptually prepared, even for a future, fully-automated, individual traffic-guidance-system.
Okie dokie. In the world I inhabit, this vehicle doesn’t work. Enclosed motorcycles are great on the Bonneville Salt Flats but in the real world most of us prefer something a bit more reliable than spindly little outriggers for low speed, stop and go traffic with pedestrians and potholes, something like our own feet. Once you enclose the occupants, a third wheel for a tripod stance is the least you need to do. You also have to envison a fantasy world where this could operate as described on their website. Of course, the computer images of the Acabion sitting by the jet and running side by side a high speed train add to the dream like existence of this vehicle.
And then there’s performance. Let’s see, 180mph to 280 mph in 10 seconds. Right. There are a lot of books on automotive and motorcycle design but we need one more, “Calculations vs. The Real World.”
If this was just a design exercise, it would be interesting but he looks like he is really trying to sell it. Now THAT’s, interesting!
Nathan says
Could we be getting MPH and KPH mixed up? Just guessing seeing as I’m sure this isn’t a US creation.
kneeslider says
That makes more sense except the quotes are from their own website. Maybe they didn’t proof read their own press release.
Ian MacLeod says
Here’s what comes up fot Peter Maskus, he’s in the plastics business, lots of experience. I think this is a fairly blue sky concept. It’s very similar to a lot of stuff that Luigi Colani has done, some of the most out-there and unique visions of future transportation. Definitely worth checking out Luigi Colani!
My gut feeling is that it’s a start up company, and to garner some attention, exhibited a non running concept at the car show. It looks like a commuter pod meant for a 5-20 HP engine, that has had the Hayabusa engine put in for the car show. It is probably not fully engineered yet.
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Ian MacLeod says
Checked the other web link, guess I should do that before I start talking! From the amount of money supposedly spent and Peter Maskus’ connections, maybe more real than I thought, however, I too am pretty skeptical of his calculated speeds and accelerations.
The pod on wheels with a Mother-of-God engine is essentially a Bonneville streamliner. The technical problems there are tires and stability.
todd says
OK, cross this thing up on the freeway and how many miles does it take before it stops rolling over? Since top speed does not make much sense in reality, nor does 180 – 280 mph acceleration times (who cares?), an extrememly long wheelbase with a limited turning radius, fully enclosed, over powered (uses only 50% of its available power? what a waste) sausage mobile does not seem like much fun at all. I bet I would have 10x’s the fun and agility running around town on a $1,800 Zuma.
-todd
Pat says
Man this machine is truely unique and those numbers are truely amazing, but i want to make a suggestion to the manufacture of this motorcycle. I was wondering if anyone has ever thought of using a jet engine with an electric motor hybrid or just so high tech motor to increase it’s already amazing power to weight ratio. Just let me know