Tag Archives: unseen

Take A Look Inside The Porsche Minivan That Never Was

No fewer than 15 ideas have been uncovered again in 2020 when the “Porsche Unseen” guide got here out. These automobiles have been all secretly designed between 2005 and 2019 earlier than the home of Zuffenhausen lastly determined to launch all of them. Without a shadow of a doubt, essentially the most stunning idea of the lot was Vision Renndienst. Yes, it is this futuristic-looking minivan.

Envisioned with an electrical powertrain, the individuals mover was greater than only a drawing as Porsche constructed a full-size scale mannequin. A brand new video provides us the uncommon alternative to get higher acquainted with the unlikely MPV and its peculiar inside. It has a central driver’s seat à la the McLaren F1 / Speedtail, Lamborghini Egoista, and Gordon Murray T.50. However, it’s miles extra sensible than the others because it has 5 extra seats within the again, because of a pair of seats within the center row and a three-seat bench behind them. Well, perhaps simply two rearmost seats since there are solely two “floating” headrests.

The Vision Renndienst had an asymmetrical door structure with a single door on one aspect and two on the opposite aspect. These are all sliding doorways, and since there is not any B-pillar, getting out and in is a breeze. The flooring is totally flat with its bespoke EV structure, and the driving force’s seat additionally slides ahead, making it even simpler for second-row occupants to hop onto their particular person seats.

The instrument cluster is flanked by a pair of screens that presumably present footage taken by the mirror-replacing aspect cameras. The electrical minivan has one of many strangest greenhouses we have ever seen, particularly amongst minivans, full with a small sunroof only for the driving force. There are additionally contact controls on the doorways in addition to on the ceiling but it surely’s only for present since they are not purposeful. This is a 1:1 scale mannequin in any case.

porsche-vision-renndienst
Porsche Vision Renndienst

You can think about Porsche had no intentions to place the Vision Renndienst into manufacturing. Had it occurred, purists would’ve most likely bought their beloved 911s the following day. It was executed only for enjoyable and as a tribute to the Volkswagen Transporter-based Porsche Service Vehicles from again within the day. VW returned the favor final 12 months with an ID.Buzz featuring Porsche Renndienst (Race Service) branding.

The minivan was arguably the least thrilling of the Unseen idea. Cars such because the 904 Le Mans Living Legend, 919 Street, and Vision Spyder have been all much more attention-grabbing for somebody who likes sports activities automobiles with the well-known crest. There was additionally a Vision Turismo that grew to become the Taycan. Porsche created Safari variations of the 911 and Macan, with the previous evolving into the 911 Dakar limited-run manufacturing mannequin.

YAMAHA YZ345 PROJECT: TWO-STROKE TUESDAY

On this week’s Two-Stroke Tuesday we take another look with some unseen photos of a very unique Yamaha YZ345 built by fabricator Howard Jenkins of MotoFab Industries located in central California. Could you imagine a YZ250 two-stroke engine dropping right into a newer Yamaha four-stroke chassis without any major frame modifications? Well, it might just be possible! The topic in our 2-Stroke History section this week is Suzuki’s RM250 and could it be the best used bike ever. Don’t miss our Behind The Build of Mike Browns FXR/Rockstar Yamaha YZ250 at the bottom of this post!

So what if we told you a Yamaha YZ250 two-stroke engine would fit into newer four-stroke chassis without cutting huge sections of the frame away? True story Howard Jenkins CEO of MotoFab Industries in central California had a customer that really wanted to make this bike a reality and he was excited about the challenge of creating something truly different.

This is our first build with the 345 kit the MotoFab crew has done and are excited to feel it put power to the ground.  Eddie Saunders (ESR) designs and manufactures the entire cylinder kit in house except for the casting which he has casted in California.  The most unique aspect to the cylinder is the power valve design.  The main exhaust port actuation is driven by exhaust pressure and can be adjusted to fasten or slow its operation based on the spring tension.  The two exhaust side ports are open all the time with no actuation at all.

With more than a year of development the MotoFab intake for the YZ345 has been finalized. This one piece carbon fiber system utilizes the stock air box placement providing a larger volume of air in the system before being restricted by the air filter and is giving better performance on the bottom end. The system has a rubber grommet that presses into the opening of the part at the carburetor that allows for the OEM air boot clamp to make the seal.  At the other end it’s connected to the intake boot with a small section on silicone turbo hose that gives the system the ability to flex.  Attachment is made to the sub-frame with molded carbon tab at both sides of the subframe.

This YZ345 has a unique wide ratio transmission setup featuring YZ 1st and 2nd gears and WR 3rd, 4th, and 5th.  The WR 1st gear the MotoFab crew felt was too low and love the combination of YZ 2nd and WR3rd because the  YZ 2nd and WR 3rd are more closely geared than the stock setup from either the YZ or the WR and give a great combination for woods or trail riding.

With Yamaha focusing so much on centralizing mass for the four-stroke version the MotoFab crew positioned the YZ250 two-stroke engine as low as we could in the chassis wanting to keep the weight low. With the much shorter 2-stroke engine and forward facing cylinder, the motor weight in the bike is lower and further forward.  They hope it gives the bike a more “planted and stable” feel.

2-STROKE HISTORY

The story of the Suzuki RM250 isn’t just about a single motorcycle. It’s about a dynasty of bikes, championships and riders that goes back to a glorious era in the history of motocross. Click the image below for the full story!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR FULL STORY

2-STROKE BEHIND THE BUILD

Mike Brown has raced at the highest level of motocross, Supercross and off-road for factory-level teams during a career that has spanned over three decades. The 47-year-old racer is no longer competing to put food on the table, but is now doing selected events for Yamaha, FXR and Rockstar Energy just for fun. Click the image below for the full story!