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Namir is a
concept sports car born of the collaboration between
Italian designer Italdesign Giugiaro and Frazer-Nash, a
company that specialises in the design, construction,
and marketing of hybrid systems deeply rooted in the
historical automotive manufacturing company founded in
England by Archie Frazer-Nash in 1923.
Presented during the 79th edition of the International
Motor Show in Geneva, Namir represents the turning of a
new page in the book being written by the Turin-based
firm since 2004, opening with the Alessandro Volta
project for Toyota and followed up most recently with
the commemorative dream car, called Quaranta, the result
of research and development on sports cars fuelled by
hybrid systems produced last year in celebration of the
40th anniversary of the company’s founding.
The Arabian name Namir, meaning “tiger”, sums up the
main features of the concept car: elegance and power,
aggressiveness and litheness of lines. Without any doubt
it is a sports car: a coupé with two bucket seats and an
accurate equilibrium between style and mechanics,
aesthetics and contents. The sophisticated mechanics as
well as the avant-garde electric and electronics systems
are wrapped up into an aggressive package with an
exquisitely balanced proportion of volumes and a
stunning contrast between the sharp accents of the rear
end and the sinuous front lines that emphasise this
supercar's performance: over 300 km/h (187 mph) at
maximum speed and an acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h in
3.5 seconds and from 0 to 200km/h in 10.4 seconds,
making this the fastest hybrid car in the world.
Namir also aims to an ecological vehicle. The hybrid
system developed together with Frazer-Nash combines an
814 cc endothermic rotary engine with four electric
motors, guaranteeing autonomy of 39 km with one litre of
fuel CO2 emissions of less than 60 grams per km
travelled.
Namir is not merely an exercise in style in and of
itself, but rather a fully developed project followed in
each and every phase by the Torino-based firm: chassis,
body, and mechanical layout were designed and
constructed by the Engineering Division, the exterior
and interior style was entrusted to the Italdesign
Giugiaro Style Centre, while the electrical and
electronic elements were developed in collaboration with
Frazer-Nash. The prototype was built entirely in the
Italdesign Giugiaro plant.
"The encounter with Frazer-Nash dates back to about a
year ago," explains Fabrizio Giugiaro, Vice President
and Styling Director of Italdesign Giugiaro, "and it was
a pleasure to meet with a name that has made automobile
history. Since the early 1990s, Frazer-Nash has taken
the lead in the engineering and construction of hybrid
systems for vehicles; they were very interested in our
branch of research dedicated to hybrid systems applied
to sports vehicles and, a few months ago, contacted us
about collaborating with them in developing a product
that would be able to showcase the potential of their
systems.
"Frazer-Nash
then began concentrating on the development of a fuel,
traction, and transmission system bespoke for Namir,"
continues Fabrizio Giugiaro, "while the talents and
expertise of Italdesign Giugiaro were exploited for the
interior styling, planning, engineering and mechanics. It
certainly was an interesting and profitable collaboration
that resulted in a unique vehicle with very exciting
performance levels in terms of speed and pick-up, above all
in terms of low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions."
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