The Rinspeed zaZen is a concept car shown for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006. It is based on the Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S and was developed in collaboration with Bayer MaterialScience.
Rinspeed zaZen at a glance
| Maker | Rinspeed, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Presented | Geneva Motor Show 2006 |
| Developed with | Bayer MaterialScience |
| Base car | Porsche 911 (997) Carrera S |
| Engine | flat-six, 3824 cc |
| Power | 355 PS (261 kW) at 6600 rpm |
| 0–100 km/h | 4.8 seconds |
| Top speed | 293 km/h (182 mph) |
| Weight | 1495 kg |
| Extras | a glasses collection by ic! berlin |
The performance figures agree in the English and German articles; the weight and the glasses collection appear only in the German one.
History of the Rinspeed zaZen
The zaZen was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006 and built on the platform of the Porsche 997 Carrera S. Rinspeed developed the car together with the materials company Bayer MaterialScience, a partnership that also produced the Senso a year earlier.
Under the body it keeps the Porsche flat-six: a 3.8-litre engine of 3824 cc developing 355 PS, or 261 kW, at 6600 rpm. In a car weighing 1495 kg that is enough for 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 293 km/h, figures that differ hardly at all from the production 911 on which it is based. The point of the study was therefore the body and the materials rather than the running gear.
The car came with an unusual accessory: the Berlin glasses design studio ic! berlin developed a collection of spectacles for the model. It is the kind of detail that separates a Rinspeed show car from a tuned Porsche, and it fits the company’s habit of building each study around one idea rather than around performance alone.
Design and features
- Porsche 997 base: the Carrera S platform and flat-six are carried over.
- Bayer MaterialScience: developed with the materials company, like the Senso before it.
- 355 PS: 3824 cc, 261 kW at 6600 rpm, 293 km/h and 4.8 seconds to 100 km/h.
- Light for its power: 1495 kg with the full Porsche drivetrain.
- Glasses collection: a set of spectacles designed for the car by ic! berlin of Berlin.
Rinspeed zaZen versions
- zaZen (2006): the concept shown in Geneva.
- Senso (2005): the earlier study made with the same materials partner.
- Bedouin (2003): another Rinspeed Porsche, this one on a 996 Turbo.
The Senso was the first Rinspeed study made with Bayer MaterialScience, and the Bedouin is the other Porsche-based concept. More is under Rinspeed.
Video: Concept Car – Rinspeed Zazen
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Rinspeed, English Wikipedia: presentation, engine, performance
- Rinspeed zaZen, German Wikipedia: weight, top speed, the ic! berlin collection
