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19-606: The Modulo has an extremely low and wedge-shaped body, with a canopy -style glass roof that slides forward to permit entry to the cabin of the car. All four wheels are partly covered. Another special feature of the design are 24 holes in the engine cover that reveal the Ferrari V12 engine which develops 550 hp (410 kW) to propel the Modulo to a top speed of around 220 mph (354 km/h) and from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in approximately 3.0 seconds. The Modulo originally started out as

38-448: A Ferrari 512S (chassis and engine #27) and was converted to 612 Can Am spec. After testing, the engine and transmission were removed and the chassis was stripped down and given to Pininfarina to build a show car. The show car debuted at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show and was originally painted black, but was later repainted in the white. The Modulo was well received by critics and has won 22 awards for its design. In 2014, Pininfarina sold

57-410: A canopy . A canopy is a type of door which sits on top of a car and lifts up in some way, to provide access for passengers. It is similar to an aircraft canopy . There are no established sub-types of canopies, so they can be hinged at the front, side, or back, although hinging at the front is most common. Canopy doors are rarely used on production cars , and are sometimes used on concept cars . This

76-506: A position where they take up as little space as possible. This construction eliminates the need for doors and A-pillars and so the windscreen extends from B-pillar to B-pillar, which has the important benefit of improving overall visibility. In October 2018, Human Horizons , the mother company of the HiPhi NEV brand revealed the Concept H, alongside the Concept A. The H is for Hypervelocity, and

95-534: Is not an exhaustive list. The first vehicle canopy is thought to have been invented by Messerschmitt , the German aeroplane manufacturer that was not allowed to produce aircraft after World War II . Instead, they produced cars designed by aircraft engineer Fritz Fend . Unlike most later car canopies, the Messerschmitt canopies are hinged on the side, as was the canopy of many fighter planes. A problem with side hinging

114-404: Is that, for a car with typical side-by-side seating, the passengers sitting closest to the hinge must slide or climb across a seat to get out of the car. For that reason the side-hinging canopy is best suited for single-occupant or tandem-seat cars, and later canopies were usually hinged at the front or back. The KR175 was the first car, production or concept, to have a canopy. In 1956, the model

133-445: Is the only production car to date to use a front-hinged canopy door. The windscreen has small A-pillars so it looks like a conventional car when the canopy is closed. The 1985 Buick Wildcat concept car had a canopy. The style of canopy used was an extended canopy, composed of much of the front bodywork, and not just the passenger compartment. A canopy was used in this concept car as it was thought to be futuristic. The Zagato Raptor

152-562: The Batman films make use of the canopy door. Bubble canopies are popular on some custom cars , most notably those by Ed Roth , such as the Orbitron , Road Agent and Beatnik Bandit . The Lamborghini Egoista , the company's 50th anniversary celebration car, has a canopy door. It is designed to look like a fighter jet. The Lamborghini Terzo Millennio , a futuristic electric concept car introduced by Lamborghini and developed in collaboration with

171-542: The Diablo, but eliminating the Anti-lock braking system (ABS) and traction control system , as well as the extensive use of carbon fiber for the body work made the vehicle significantly lighter than the Diablo, thus potentially faster. To make up for the lack of ABS and the higher potential speeds, an upgrade from the Diablo's braking system was used. Most media sources speculated that it would have been an excellent car to bridge

190-705: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) also has a canopy door. The action-roleplaying video game expansion Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty features the Herrera Riptide, a retro-futuristic sports coupe vehicle that has a canopy door. Zagato Raptor The Zagato Raptor , sometimes referred to as the Lamborghini Raptor , is a concept car design created in 1996 by Zagato in partnership with Alain Wicki for Lamborghini . The body features

209-490: The Modulo to American entrepreneur and automotive aficionado James Glickenhaus who is restoring it to full operating condition. This article about a classic post-war automobile produced between 1945 and 1975 is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Vehicle canopy A vehicle canopy is a rarely used type of door for cars. It has no official name so it is also known as an articulated canopy , bubble canopy , cockpit canopy , canopy door , or simply

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228-543: The Zagato "double bubble" design and an innovative door design where the whole middle section of the car swivels up and forward. The chassis is borrowed from a 4WD Lamborghini Diablo . The design was completed and a sample vehicle displayed at the Geneva Auto Show in 1996. At the time of showing, it was believed that the car was ready for production. Utilizing the drivetrain and 492 hp (367 kW) V12 engine from

247-597: The concept features a set of butterfly doors with an additional canopy opening which the company calls the A.C.E.S. or Articulated Cabin Entry System, which moves part of the roof to make access easier. The idea was later transferred to the HiPhi X production car in the form of gull wing doors or what the company calls the NT door. Various models of the Batmobile used in the production of

266-567: The gap between the Diablo and its successor, then called the Canto, but Lamborghini did not produce the Raptor. Alain Wicki briefly tried to develop it on his own with Zagato's help, but nothing became of his efforts. He owned the only prototype until 2000, when it was auctioned at the Geneva Auto Show and bought by a private car collector. This article about a modern automobile produced after 1975

285-458: The previously-mentioned 'glasshouse effect': whilst driving the vehicle they were reportedly forced to keep the bubble slightly open on hot days to cool the car's interior. The Aero X 's top canopy is styled on the one of the Saab aeroplanes, and this was their inspiration for using a canopy. The canopy opens by remote control, and there is a lever to close it again. The three-piece canopy eliminates

304-474: The problems like a high sill and awkwardly angled roof, although the mechanisms are more complex and so heavier, and more likely to fail; leaving an occupant stranded inside a car. The canopy includes a wrap-around windscreen and a glass roof, side windows and body panels (which lift upwards, lowering the sills), and the top roof section of the interior fascia (which moves inwards so it doesn't obstruct entry/exit). These sections intricately manoeuvre themselves into

323-578: Was a 1996 concept designed by Zagato an based on a Lamborghini Diablo VT platform. Designed with iconic double-bubble roof that tilted forwards as opening instead of doors. The concept Volkswagen 1-litre car , the VW 1L, uses a canopy door. The 2013 production version of the concept used butterfly doors. The Maserati Birdcage 75th lacks conventional doors, instead using an extended canopy system. The demonstrator model lacks air-conditioning and so journalists (including Evo Magazine's Harry Metcalfe) experienced

342-597: Was changed to the Messerschmitt KR200. The most noticeable thing about the KR200 is its distinctive bubble canopy, which gave rise to the term ' bubble car '. The KR200 continued Messerschmitt's side-hinged canopies. These were usually transparent acrylic ("Plexiglas" or "Perspex"), though reproductions are car-safe polymethyl methacrylate . The first of three concept cars made under the Alfa Romeo Scarabeo name

361-607: Was equipped with a forward hinged canopy. The 1969 Holden Hurricane concept car features a canopy door. The Ferrari 512 S Modulo concept car, designed by Pininfarina , features a canopy door. The Bond Bug is a small three-wheeled sports car and was the first production car to use a front-hinged canopy. Other than the Purvis Eureka (a licensed copy of the Nova) and the Bond Bug, the Nova

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