In spite of their continuing efforts to crack F1, Toyota people still have an eye on that elusive Le Mans 24hrs victory – at least judging by the official Toyota entry in this year’s LA Design Challenge.
The LA Design Challenge is part of the automotive designers’ conference that has become an integral part of the annual LA Auto show, and always generates top-notch work by some of the industry’s most innovative creative types.
This year’s Design Challenge theme is Motorsports 2025, and North American factory design studios from Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, M-B, and Volkswagen have all entered futuristic racers alongside Toyota’s 2025 Le Mans contender.
Powered by hydrogen fuel cell electric motors, the Toyota Lemans Racer has High Speed and Cornering modes; in the former both the body and wheels narrow to reduce drag at 350mph, widening in the latter to increase stability and grip. The driver works in a completely digital environment enhanced by virtual reality, computer trajectory plotting, collision avoidance assistance and a robot co-pilot, the designers say – an insight into the some future road car technologies that Toyota is developing at its top secret Higashi Fuji R&D centre in Japan?
Meanwhile, you’ll have to content yourself with a browse through the stunning graphic art provided by all the companies who have entered this year, from Audi’s R25 with wireless power transfer to avoid pit stops, BMW’s ‘recycled’ hydrogen salt flat racer and Mitsubishi’s wild MMR25 with omnidirectional wheels allowing for 8 x 4 wheel drive, to VW’s Bio Runner, their entry in the ‘One Tank Unlimited Solo Class’ of the classic Baja 1000 in 2025. You can download the images
here
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