Thursday, March 5, 2009

Frazer-Nash Namir: Hybrid cars can also be sporty, stylish and fast!


The Frazer-Nash Namir hybrid looks hot and can hit a top speed of 300km/h!

For those who equate the term ‘hybrid car’ with dumpy looks and dull performance, the recently unveiled Frazer-Nash Namir supercar – designed by Fabrizio Giugiaro – should change your perception. Exhibited at the ongoing Geneva Motorshow, the Namir (Arabic for ‘Tiger’) has been built at Italdesign’s design and engineering centre in Turin, Italy.

Frazer-Nash (a legendary name in British motoring circles) is now a part of the Kamkorp Group and specialises in developing electric drivetrains for hybrid cars and mass transit systems. So, as you would expect, the Namir is fitted with Frazer-Nash’s own hybrid powertrain, which combines an 814cc endothermic rotary engine with four electric motors, with a combined output of 370bhp.

According to Frazer-Nash, the Namir, which is fitted with a lightweight carbonfibre monocoque chassis, will accelerate from zero to 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds, from zero to 200km/h in 10.4 seconds, and hit a top speed of 300km/h! Plus, the hybrid powertrain ensures a fuel efficiency of 39km/l and an emissions figure of less than 60g/km of CO2.

The Namir’s rotary engine runs on petrol and acts as a generator that charges the lithium polymer power cells, and a 50-litre fuel tank gives a total range of almost 2,000km.

We guess in another few years, hybrids and battery-powered EVs will be giving regular cars a run for their money when it comes to outright performance…

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