CARS OF NOW

Mazda Furai

Japan

The problem with concept cars is that for all their artistis flair and promises of Back To The Future-esque add-ons, they very rarely see it through to production.

Cruise forward the Mazda Furai - a car that has been designed and built to ensure it takes not only the design, but also the science of motoring itself, into the future.

Unlike a traditional Fl-style snorkel or nose, the Furai takes in air through'a shallow, leaf-like cup known informally as an 'air fang'. As the wind flows through, twin vortices on either side of the device are generated, which then dump fresh air directly down the intake without incurring the efficiency losses of a traditional snorkel. Keeping up? No, us neither. But what it basically means is that its wind resistance is virtually nothing.

The Furai (meaning 'sound of wind') is powered by a mid-mounted, three-rotor engine that gives around 450 bhp thanks to EI00 ethanol fuel which means it's good for Mother Nature as well as working in conjunction with her.

According to Franz von Holzhausen, Mazda's North American director of design: "Historically, there has been a gap between single-purpose racecars and street-legal models - commonly called supercars - that emulate the real racers on the road. The Furai bridges that gap like no car has done before."

Author: ArchitectPage

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