Rinspeed goes retro with beach-friendly BamBoo

There’s no doubt the folk at Rinspeed like to think outside the box when it comes to its concept cars – you need look no further than the sQuba diving concept car for confirmation of that. The latest design from Rinspeed founder Frank M. Rinderknecht, however, looks to step back inside the box with a design that harks back to the 1970s. The BamBoo, which won’t be officially revealed until the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, is a stripped-back vehicle that Rinspeed itself describes as resembling a “grown-up golf cart”.

Much like the venerable Mini Moke before it, Rinspeed wants to attract the beachgoers with the four-seater BamBoo’s no frills, open-top design. The front-wheel drive vehicle is driven by a Fräger electric motor providing a maximum power output of 54 kW and 140 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. It can accelerate from 0–50 km/h (31 mph) in 4.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph) and its lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack provides a range of around 105 km (65 miles) at 90 km/h.

The vehicle’s chassis is composed of steel and composite Ticona, while, in keeping with its name, many of the interior components are made from bamboo fibers. Weighing around 1,090 kg (2,403 lb), the vehicle measures 3.89 m long x 1.62 m wide x 1.61 m high (12.8 x 5.3 x 5.3 ft).