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This weird electric 'lo-res' concept car is for sale

Monday, 11 October 2021

This isn’t a new Apple iMac mouse – it’s a concept car.
This isn’t a new Apple iMac mouse – it’s a concept car.

A concept car that looks more like a door-stop than anything from the 1980s has turned up on Bring A Trailer.

Dubbed the “low-res” car, it was designed by the founder of United Nude, a footwear and fashion company, in 2016, apparently based on “an abstract, low-resolution version of the Lamborghini Countach.” It also looks remarkably similar to the Tesla Cybertruck…

Unfortunately, the rear light bar doesn’t seem to be working in this example.
Unfortunately, the rear light bar doesn’t seem to be working in this example.

The weird door-stop features 12 clear tinted polycarbonate body panels draped over a steel chassis, while power comes from a 5kW electric motor.

It also has an electrically operated clamshell body for the two occupants, light bars front and rear with illuminated United Nude logos, and a chrome hexagonal steering wheel that looks like it turns into a single chest-height hole punch in the event of an accident.

Inside is pretty minimal, to say the least.
Inside is pretty minimal, to say the least.

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Thankfully, power is only rated at 5kW, and you can’t drive this on the road. That steering wheel would punch a hole right through you in an accident.
Thankfully, power is only rated at 5kW, and you can’t drive this on the road. That steering wheel would punch a hole right through you in an accident.

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Needless to say, without seatbelts, airbags and indicators, the lo-res car isn’t road legal.

Further interior details include a control panel with an ignition switch, battery charge level indicator, and toggle switches for vehicle functions.

Behind the steering wheel are two digital displays, one of which is the speedo. The description doesn’t say what the other screen shows.

Unfortunately for this particular example, one of the external light bars is not working.

While it looks about as impractical as it gets for a car, it is evidently quite the design marvel. According to the listing description, it achieved a Wallpaper Magazine Design Award in 2016 before featuring in various music videos.

The same prototypes were also displayed at the 2018 Grand Basel automotive design showcase as well as the Petersen Automotive Museum’s Disruptors exhibition in 2019.

According to the seller, 50 per cent of the proceeds from the sale will go towards maintenance and care of the Petersen Museum’s collection, while the other half will be donated to Energy Independence Now, an environmental non-profit organisation.