The Acabion GTBO, a streamliner for the road
I am not going to focus on the insane performance numbers of the Acabion GTBO. For the record, it is expected to be able to reach 450 kilometers per hour, or about 280 miles per hour, and accelerate to 400 kilometers per hour, or about 250 miles per hour in 20 seconds. The engine is a 700 horsepower turbocharged beast. Enough of that...
What I think is interesting to our readers here is what can be done when it comes to aerodynamics and rolling resistance. The fewer wheels that a vehicle has on the ground, the less rolling resistance it has. The shape of the streamlined fuselage of the vehicle is as aerodynamic as a bullet. One reason that the vehicle's aerodynamics are better than standard motorcycles is the frontal area and the length of the bodywork. When people put their minds to optimizing features such as these, the engines could be much smaller and more efficient, while still delivering adequate performance, namely, cruising speed.
[Source: Gizmag]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joseph 10:57PM (3/24/2007)
At such high speeds, wouldn't the stability of 4 nice nig fat wheels be much better, if not required. Thin tires would burn out quickly at such high speeds.
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Acabion 8:00PM (4/01/2007)
Dear Joseph, thanks for your thoughts on the Acabion. The funny thing is that superbikes have no trouble with high speeds. And the Acabion even reduces aerodynamic forces so that e.g. a Hayabusa bike at 180 mph has more Newtons to transfer at the backwheel than the Acabion at 260 mph. Plus the Acabion vision does not stand alone. It comes with a vision of innovative, fully automated streamliner tracks. Like Bonneville for everyone and everywhere. And those tracks would have no narrow curves. Suggestion: Let us agree on one thing: Innovations are characterized by being surprising and new. Rarely they were understood before, but mostly afterwards. We will continue to work on our dream, like we do since 20 years, and we dream it for all of you, especially in those wonderful big countries that require a lot of traveling for days to come. Last Thursday I drove with a technician on the backseat, working for a big airline company. After that little trip he said: "Before it you think it is crazy, and you just don't understand it. But afterwards you just want to have one, and you want everybody to make that experience, because no one will doubt it any more. It is mere fascination". Truly, Dr. Peter Maskus, CResO and COO, Acabion TM, Lucerne. "The man with the new idea is a Crank, until his ideas succeeds". Mark Twain. Some things will never change.
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