Biome 2010 Mercedes-Benz Concept Car

 

The designers from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad, California, surprised everyone at the 2010 Los Angeles Design Challenge with a revolutionary vision. The Mercedes Biome Concept previews an ultralight vehicle, inspired by nature, that aims for unparalleled efficiency.

The Mercedes-Benz BIOME Concept symbiosis vehicle is made from an ultralight material called BioFibre and tips the scales at just 875.5 lbs (around 394 kg). This material is significantly lighter than metal or plastic, yet more robust than steel. BioFibre is grown from proprietary DNA in the Mercedes-Benz nursery, where it collects energy from the sun and stores it in a liquid chemical bond called BioNectar4534. As part of this process, the vehicle is created from two seeds: The interior of the BIOME grows from the DNA in the Mercedes star on the front of the vehicle, while the exterior grows from the star on the rear. To accommodate specific customer requirements, the Mercedes star is genetically engineered in each case, and the vehicle “grows” when the genetic code is combined with the seed capsule. The wheels are grown from four separate seeds.

"As the inventor of the motor car, we wanted to illustrate the vision of the perfect vehicle of the future, which is created and functions in complete symbiosis with nature. The Mercedes-Benz BIOME Concept is a natural technology hybrid, and forms part of our earth's ecosystem. It grows and thrives like the leaves on a tree" according to Hubert Lee, Head of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad. This year the competition had called for the creation of a vision of a safe and comfortable 2+2 compact car featuring good handling and a first-class design.

Even Mercedes Biome concept has a lenght of about 4 meters and is 2,5 meters wide, the German concept designed in California is still able to provide a total mass of just 394 kilograms, thus, it fits the requirements of the contest in question.

The Mercedes-Benz BIOME Concept is powered by BioNectar4534, which is stored in the BioFibre material of the chassis, interior, and wheels. In addition, Mercedes-Benz has developed a technology to equip trees with special receptors which can collect the excess solar energy and turn it into BioNectar4534. This creates a direct link with nature's energy sources and acts as an incentive to cover mobility energy requirements through more trees and at the same time maintain natural resources. Like plants, the Mercedes-Benz symbiosis vehicle also produces oxygen, thereby contributing to improving air quality. At the end of its service life, the Mercedes-Benz BIOME can be fully composted or used as building material. Thanks to the exclusive use of green technologies, the BIOME vehicle thus blends seamlessly into the ecosystem.

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Noble M600, 2010

 

 

 

The ethos of the Noble M600 has developed from a small team passionate about driving. The evolved from our research of the available 'supercars' most of which lean heavily on computer assistance. The use of fashionable but often inefficient gear paddle shift, over assisted brakes and inopportune traction control have all become standard features of the modern day supercar.

The philosophy behind this radical and refreshing premise is best summed up by Peter Dyson, owner of Noble Automotive Limited: 'Noble is a labour of love, of no compromises and of challenges fought. The car speaks for itself, and absolutely reflects what the Team and I envision a true drivers car should be. It is no question uniquely "out of sync" in today's world, one overrun with cars that cannot make up their minds as to whether they want to be a car that rewards or a car that gives hollow praise by electronically 'covering' the errors.'

Designed and engineered with a purity that rewards driver skill, the Noble M600 is neither dictated to nor hindered by unnecessary computer assistance. It puts you back in the driving seat.

Development

The development of the Noble M600 has been an incredibly intense and rewarding journey, a journey in its literal sense, we shipped the development prototype to the USA.

Crossing the continent from East to West we experienced the most dramatic and demanding of climates and terrains in order to prove and test the efficacy and engineering of the Noble M600. In company, for comparative purposes, with a Porsche Carrera GT and, for some of the journey, a Ferrari Enzo. We drove from Chicago westward; the journey included every type of environment, from the incredibly hot Death Valley in California to the mountains and snow of Utah, from the infamous Pikes Peak to the Bonneville Salt Flats, and finally, to a hot and dusty race track in Phoenix Arizona where the Noble M600 was tested and evaluated against some of the fastest and most respected supercars in the world.
 

Design
Design is of course subjective, beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder. However there are certain design absolutes, particularly when creating a supercar featuring such massive power and performance, which dictate, in order to have full aerodynamic and cooling efficiency certain design criteria must be met.

It is our belief that form should always follow function, there is much in the philosophy 'if it looks right it probably is right'.

Utilising extensive wind tunnel testing we have strived to maintain the form to be as minimalist as possible whilst providing the ultimate aerodynamic and cooling efficiency. Nothing is cosmetic; every element of the shape and design is intrinsic to the effectiveness of the performance.

Safety
The Noble M600 has a massive 650bhp available, this amount of power, or indeed the power delivery, is not always either appropriate or required, however with the Adaptable Performance Control function you can select the power output to reflect both the location and suitable driving conditions.

The Noble M600 features three APC settings, the chosen setting is displayed on both the APC dial and the dashboard display. The APC adjusts not just the power output but also tailors the boost curve, traction and throttle response relative to the selected mode.

Road: This is the 'comfort' setting and represents circa 450bhp, this also supports full traction control and a gently progressive boost curve and throttle response.
Track: This is the mid-range power setting circa 550bhp, this setting features a little less intrusive traction, a steeper boost curve and more initial response to the throttle.
Race: This is the full power setting of circa 650bhp, this allows increased wheel slip, an aggressive boost curve and a heightened reactive throttle 'tip in' to allow effective and responsive heel and toe operation.

Brakes
In keeping with our ethos, we were determined to give the purest and most rewarding drive possible.
The brakes, developed for the Noble M600 in partnership with Alcon, feature semi-floating front disc with cast aluminium alloy monobloc calipers. The monobloc six piston front and four piston rear caliper designs ensure high strength with low weight and provide a firm brake pedal in all driving conditions. Caliper bore sizes are staggered to ensure even pad wear and the pin mounted pads provide low threshold pressure and low noise. The calipers clamp 380mm front and 350mm rear ventilated discs both of which are mounted to lightweight aluminium bells. Friction is provided courtesy of Pagid performance pads.

The wheels, manufactured by Speedline in Italy, are exclusively designed for the Noble M600, featuring forged aluminium alloy 9Jx19 fronts and 12Jx20 rears. Tyres are Michelin Pilot Sport 255/30-19 fronts and 335/30-20 rears.

Comford
The Noble M600 is primarily designed for speed and handling however this is not at the expense of either comfort or practicality.
The cabin features a traditional British hand built finish, with your choice of leather or Alcantara. Natural finished polished carbon door cards and centre console, hand turned knobs and bezels and fine quality wool carpets bound to the edge with leather.

The seats, designed and created exclusively for the Noble M600, are of lightweight carbon fibre composite construction which can be bespoke upholstered to individual requirements. The seats also feature carbon fibre inserts for the optional five point harnesses.
The 330mm flat bottom steering wheel is also hand stitched and can be finished in either suede or leather.

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