Namir Hybrid Eco-Powered

Namir Hybrid Eco-Powered

Frazer-Nash, it probably isn't in the context of modern drivetrain technology like hybrid systems. Nonetheless, the brand that was long ago a famous British car maker is still around, albeit no longer building cars. In fact, hybrid drive systems is exactly what Frazer Nash is developing today and the company has collaborated withItaldesign Giugiaro to create a concept called the Namir.Think "hybrid eco-powered car" and you think "Prius" right? Well you shouldn't. You should substitute the mental image of that conventional, if revolutionary auto for the Frazer-Nash Namir from Giugiaro for two reasons. Firstly because it's a whole league of flashiness above Toyota's vaguely bug-eyed design. And secondly because the Namir will top-out at 187 mph.

The Namir's was revealed to the public at the Geneva Motor Show, and it's laying claim to the title of "fastest hybrid car in the world." Glancing at the photos you may also think "the most orange-colored hybrid car in the world" would be a fitting title, but I think that the overall super-car-like design mostly excuses the paint work.

Frazer Nash has developed a series hybrid drivetrain (like the Voltec drivetrain in the Chevy Volt) that uses an 814cc rotary engine driving a generator. The generator charges a 400V lithium polymer battery pack that feeds electrons to a pair of electric motors at each axle with a cumulative output of 362 hp. The system is claimed to give the Namir a top speed of 187 mph, 0-62 mph acceleration in 3.5 seconds while still managing 91.7 mpg (US)! Not too shabby.That acceleration is only just behind the fastest accelerating production car, the Bugatti Veyron, that manages 0-62 mph in 2.45 seconds...though it does so with a quad-turbocharged W16 gasoline engine.In contrast the Namir pushes out just 60kg/km of CO2, or around 60% of the latest road-legal hybrid cars, and manages a fuel efficiency of around 92 miles per U.S. gallon--which is about twice as efficient as driving a Prius. And with a full tank of gas it can go over 1,200 miles without a refill or recharge, and that's a far cry from the early days of hybrid gas-electric cars--incidentally a technology that's been 100 years in the making.