NAIAS Highlights: Concepts
Cunningham's coupe concept
Although the company was formed only last year, officials with the Cunningham Motor Co. unveiled a grand touring car concept that is expected to enter limited-production volume in three years. When the car goes into production, it will underscore a nontraditional approach to vehicle development.
"We will tap into the extremely rich vein of independent automotive talent - from designers to chassis developers to fabricators to manufacturers - available around the United States from metropolitan Detroit to Southern California. American high-tech companies can develop significant systems, designed to Cunningham's specifications, which in the past had to be developed in-house," noted Cunningham President and CEO John McCormack.
Further development of the grand touring car will include contributions from these U.S.-based suppliers: LDM Technologies (creation of a system called Controlled Energy Management that will be integrated in the car's front and rear portions to increase durability upon impact), Unigraphics Solutions (creating programs to facilitate engineering via software technology), Altra Technologies (provider of collision-avoidance and other safety systems), and Autokinetics, Inc. (designer and producer of stainless-steel spaceframe chassis).
The concept car that debuted at the NAIAS was fabricated from scratch in two months by Special Products, Inc. Overall design objectives included all-wheel drive; an American-sourced, 12-cylinder V-type engine producing 448 kW (600 hp); an active independent suspension; and four-wheel vented disc brakes with ABS.
The price tag on the 2+2 coupe with a 3050-mm (120-in) wheelbase and overall length of 4700 mm (185 in) is expected to exceed $250,000.
- Kami Buchholz
