The Rinspeed Bedouin is a concept car presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2003 by the Swiss company Rinspeed. It is built on a Porsche 996 Carrera Turbo and can turn from a four-seat estate into a two-seat pickup at the press of a button.
Rinspeed Bedouin at a glance
| Maker | Rinspeed, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Presented | Geneva Motor Show 2003 |
| Base car | Porsche 996 Carrera Turbo |
| Drive | all-wheel drive, taken from the 996 |
| Engine | four-valve twin-turbocharged six-cylinder |
| Power | 420 PS |
| Fuel | natural gas |
| Top speed | 250 km/h, limited |
| 0–100 km/h | 5.9 seconds |
| Ride height | raised by 14 cm; chassis adjustable in height and firmness |
| Roof | two electric motors, conversion in 10 seconds |
| Interior | Porsche 996 trim with Swarovski crystals |
The technical description comes from the German Wikipedia article on the Bedouin; the company background is from the English article on Rinspeed.
History of the Rinspeed Bedouin
The Bedouin was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2003. Under the body it keeps the floor pan and the all-wheel drive of the Porsche 996 Carrera Turbo, and the four-valve twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine runs on natural gas. With 420 PS it takes the car from rest to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and on to a limited 250 km/h.
The body sits 14 centimetres higher than the Porsche, so the car looks like an off-roader, and the chassis can be adjusted in both height and firmness. The roof is the point of the design: at the touch of a button, or by remote control, the car converts from a four-seat estate into a two-seat pickup in ten seconds. Two electric motors work through mechanical screw gears to lower or raise the whole roof; the front part of the roof folds down to the rear window and the rear part folds down to form the load bed.
For safety the mechanism is fitted with self-locking latches and safety switches of the same functional type. Inside, the Bedouin keeps almost all of the 996’s equipment, but the trim was developed together with Rinspeed’s partner Swarovski: the door panels, the gear knob and the Rinspeed logo in the seats are set with crystals. A seven-inch flat screen serves the driver as a reversing camera or the passenger as entertainment.
Design and features
- Changing body style: a four-seat estate becomes a two-seat pickup in ten seconds, on a button or by remote control.
- Screw-drive roof: two electric motors and mechanical spindle gears fold the front roof section to the rear window and the rear section into the load bed.
- Raised chassis: 14 cm higher than the donor Porsche, with adjustable height and firmness for off-road use.
- Natural gas: the twin-turbo six runs on gas, and the all-wheel drive comes from the 996 Turbo.
- Crystal trim: door panels, gear knob and seat logos set with Swarovski crystals, plus a seven-inch screen.
Rinspeed Bedouin versions
- Bedouin (2003): the concept shown in Geneva, a single car.
- Estate configuration: four seats with the roof raised.
- Pickup configuration: two seats with the roof folded into the load bed.
- Remote control: the conversion can also be started from outside the car.
The Bedouin is one of several Rinspeed studies built on a Porsche: the zaZen used the 997 Carrera S. For the water, see the Rinspeed Splash. All of them are under Rinspeed.
Video: Rinspeed Bedouin
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Rinspeed, English Wikipedia: company and its concept cars
- Rinspeed Bedouin, German Wikipedia: base car, engine, roof mechanism, interior
