| Make
|
AV
Design |
| Model |
Forte |
| Concept
year |
2007 |
| Production
year |
- |
| Engine |
Biofuel
V8 |
|
The Forte features numerous innovative
ideas |
 |
|
The 2007 AV Design Forte from third year Coventry Transport
Design student Andrew Varnish was a concept sports coupe
inspired by the character of the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg
luxury sports cars of the 1930's.
The Forte is a carbon
fibre bodied, front-mid engined urban sports car powered
by a bio-fueled V8 engine mated to a 6-speed manual, or
5-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels.
Access to the engine compartment is easy thanks to an
aluminium bonnet hinged on both sides and opened from
the left or right. Helping to keep the Forte's engine
cool are hidden air vents underneath the protruding front
arches which also hide the slit-like LED headlights. Hot
air in the engine bay is then extracted by ducted electric
fans blowing out either side just forward of the doors.
The exhaust is a center-exit titanium
unit set into the smooth underbody.
Influences for the AV Design Forte came from a variety
of sources. The front end is derived from the form taken
by an arrow head and the wraparound windscreen is inspired
by aircraft cockpits.
In order to keep the 20 inch rims wrapped with low profile
whitewall tires in close proximity to the wheel arches,
the top section of the front arches move in conjunction
with the front suspension, although dampers help keep
the movement fluid.
Innovative features can be found all over the car. Set
into the nose of the Forte on either side are small color
video cameras which, at the flick of a switch, relay footage
to a screen in the dash to help the Forte's driver at
low visibility junctions and exiting driveways. A photo
sensitive roof adjusts its opacity depending on the amount
of direct sunlight to help keep the cabin cool. Built
in hydraulic jacks make changing wheels a breeze, and
the rear brake lights illuminate in a circular fashion,
starting from the top towards the center and rapidly running
out along the top and then back in along the bottom
Access to the two-seat luxury interior is though the conventional
opening doors which cut into the roof aiding entry.
The AV Design Forte is a concept car which is just that,
a concept, designed to promote interesting ideas and alternative
design styles as well as exploring a new market segment,
the urban sports car. There is currently no plan to put
the car into production however limited.
See additional images of the concept in the AV
Design Forte Gallery.
|
|
