The Volkswagen EcoRacer is an innovative mid-engine sports car concept first unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. It was built to prove that high-performance sportiness and extreme fuel efficiency could coexist seamlessly in a single package

Posted by Venkie2Maybach@reddit | WeirdWheels | View on Reddit | 20 comments

The defining feature of the EcoRacer is its highly versatile, modular body made entirely of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP).

The car can be manually converted into three distinct vehicle types in just a few minutes:

Coupé: The baseline configuration, complete with a hardtop roof and a rear hatch.

Roadster: Removing the T-bar roof panels and the rear hatch converts the car into an open-air targa sportster.

Speedster: Releasing a special catch allows the driver to completely remove the front windscreen and its frame, replacing it with a low-slung flyscreen.

It generates 136 horsepower (100 kW) and 250 Nm of torque.

Power is routed to the rear wheels via a DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

Thanks to its lightweight carbon-fibre monocoque chassis, the vehicle weighs a mere 850 kg.

The "Eco" in its name comes from its astonishing fuel economy. It consumes just 3.4 litres of fuel per 100 km (equivalent to roughly 69 mpg US / 83 mpg UK).

The concept also showcased Volkswagen's experimental Combined Combustion System (CCS), which allowed the engine to run cleanly on synthetic fuels to meet strict environmental standards.

While the EcoRacer never entered production, elements of its minimalist interior layout later influenced tech like Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, and its spirit lived on in Volkswagen's ultra-efficient, limited-run XL1 hybrid.

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DaveAtRestaurant@reddit

Looks like a Honda S2000 fucked a Hyundai Veloster

hyperdream@reddit

It was built to prove that high-performance sportiness and extreme fuel efficiency could coexist seamlessly in a single package

The next year in 2006 they beginning lying about their emissions numbers.... I guess they learned quite a bit from this project.

Fast-Athlete4244@reddit

my cousin’s car started doiing that after a tune-up

TigaSharkJB91@reddit

"Hello, Sir, officer Brown. Could you please roll down your windshield?"

prema108@reddit

still looks better than this

dirted22@reddit

If I had something cool and customizable like that, I'd probably downsize the fleet. Aside from truck duties, that one car could pretty much check the boxes of all the others.

Unless the materials made it unfeasible to produce at a price people would buy, it's hard to imagine that concept wouldn't have been a hot seller.

Feuerdrachen@reddit

That prototype alone had a production cost well above the 100k. Why you may wonder? You guessed it, materials.

Besides research a lot of expensive materials, especially carbon fiber, were used to keep the weight as low as possible.

While it made the prototype impressive, it also made it very difficult to make it more affordable. Using steel instead of carbon would have ruined the entire lightweight aspect.