The extremely wild concept car Dendrobium
Designation and design of the Dendrobium
Does this name seem too cosmic to you? In fact, it is the Latin name for orchid. This is not however a fragile “flower”, but a souped-up, extravagant-looking electric sports car. The actual project for the car took a long time in the “making”. The designers already had sketches ready in the middle of the 90s. With great far-sightedness however, they waited for progress in the field of electric engines and above all batteries. Dendrobium is a car of ultra-modern luxurious shapes. The pointy nose with a splitter is reminiscent of a monoposto, or a hybrid LMP class prototype. The vertical headlights are located on the mudguards. The whole cockpit including the roof opens, offering comparison with an orchid. The gullwing doors swing upwards and are hung at the back. The rear diodes have been completely incorporated into the wings and there is also a double diffuser at the back. The centrally positioned light is in fact a charge indicator and the connector is located in the centre of it.
Associated names and impressions
For the time being, what is hiding under the bonnet is still a secret. The fact that Williams Advanced Engineering, a branch of the Williams Group which is a big name of global standing, is behind this luxury car does help us to get some sort of idea what to expect.
Another globally renowned name involved is the Scottish Bridge of Weir Leather Company, which supplies leather seats for wonderful cars such as the Ford T, Aston Martin V8, Jaguar XJS Coupe or also the McLaren F1. The Dendrobium comes with seats sewn from the most luxurious leather by the above-mentioned company.
What are we counting on?
We are counting on four engines, each pair on one axle with differential. The front one will be connected to a single stage gearbox, the rear one to a multi-stage gearbox. The car’s maximum speed is 320 km/h and it is able to accelerate from zero to one hundred in 2.7 seconds. The system parameters are still unknown, the batteries are lithium-ion. The basis of the frame is a composite mono-block and suspension is double trapezoidal. The bodywork is made of carbon fibre and the brakes are carbon-ceramic.
Mass production begins in 2020. So start to look forward to this “predator” of the road?
