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StarLight Garage presents the Mercedes-Benz F400 Carving. This prototype
Mercedes-Benz was mainly built to test systems enhance handling safety, driving dynamics and motoring pleasure.
This car have also a awesome roadster appearance, even 13 years later.
It is unfortunate that this car never came into production.
The most conspicuous feature of the F 400 Carving, which gets its name from the sporty carvers on ski slopes, is the tilting of its wheels. When cornering, the wheels on the outside of the bend tilt by as much as 20 degrees, which distinctly improves directional stability and road holding, and reduces the danger of skidding.
Electronics have been combined with mechanics to achieve this. Sensors measure the road speed, acceleration, steering lock and yaw of the car, and send control signals to the outer wheels’ hydraulic servo cylinders, causing them to tilt at a precisely defined angle. The kerb-side wheels, like the body, remain in their normal position.
The success of the F 400 Carving is attributable, in major part, to its tyres. These were developed specifically for this car and combine the advantages of car tyres with those of the motorcycle. The inner tyre has a rounded tread to allow best cornering behaviour; this tread also has an especially high coefficient of friction. When the wheels are tilted, the transmitted forces are particularly
high.
The outer shoulder of the tyre features a proven car tread and good straight-line stability. The tyre is mounted on a special rim with a diameter of 17 inches on the inside - the active cornering side, and an outer diameter of 19 inches. This ensures that, on a straight stretch, the research car drives on only the part of the tread that is not arched. On bends, thanks to the smaller inside diameter,
the largest possible tyre contact patch is ensured.
Specifications
Overview
Introduced: 2001 Tokyo Motor Show
Built: 1
Type: Roadster prototype concept car
Country: Germany
Powertrain
Engine: Four-stroke
Engine Location: Front
Fuel: Petrol engine
Type: VV6
Displacement: 3200 cc (3.2 L.)
Power: 350 BHP (257.6 KW) @ 6100 RPM
Torque: 330 Ft-Lbs (447 NM) @ 3000 RPM
Drive type: Rear-wheel
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Other
Chassis: Aluminium space frame
Body: Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP)
Brake discs: Carbon-fibre reinforced ceramic
Headlights: Xenon incorporating fibre-glass technology
Turn signals: high-performance LEDs
Board network: 42-Volt
Technical Highlights
Active camber control
Electronic steering system (steer-by-wire)
Electronic brake system (brake-by-wire)
Active hydropneumatics with a new type of Active Body Control (ABC)
Additional headlights for cornering, also operating as fog lamps
Dimensions
Length: 3979 mm
Width: 1890 mm
Hight: 1150 mm
Wheelbase: 2450 mm
Performance
0-60 mph: 6.9 seconds.
Top Speed: 241 km/h | 149.782 mph
THE OTHER MERCEDES ARE HERE
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