Rinspeed and Bayer MaterialScience jointly develop new concept car,
"zaZen", created by the famous Swiss designer, Frank M. Rinderknecht. It
represents his vision of the car of the future and will be showcased as a kind
of "automotive enlightenment" on four wheels. The vehicle was produced in
cooperation with Bayer MaterialScience, one of the world's largest plastics
producers. It also embraces a technical revolution in car manufacture, with the
transparent backlite being turned into a luminous holographic area. As if from
nowhere, the third brake light shines out of what looks like a floating
transparent hardtop.
The world premiere of the "zaZen", with its holographic brake lamp and
smoothly contoured, transparent, one-piece roof dome made of high-tech Makrolon,
marks the beginning of a new era in lighting technology in vehicle design. For
Ian Paterson, who is responsible for innovation on the Board of Bayer
MaterialScience, this novel lighting system represents a small step on the way
to building the car of tomorrow: "Together with Rinspeed, our goal is to get
people thinking about the car of the future. We contribute our high-quality
materials and the combined creative know-how of our engineers."
The name of the new concept car - "zaZen" - has been carefully chosen by
Rinderknecht: "After all, Zen - borrowed from Buddhist teaching - is a special
form of perception: You only get there if you are prepared to give up
preconceived ideas." Both partners went out of their way to emphasize that a
concept car presented at a motor show can only be a snapshot taken from an
unceasing development process. For example, the work on the switch-on/off
transparency for three-dimensional forms is always ongoing.
Another small work of art connected with the "zaZen" is currently taking
shape in Berlin at the eyewear designers, "ic! berlin". The company's owner,
Ralph Anderl, who also acted as the model during the photo shoot, was so taken
by the new Rinspeed concept car that he designed an eyewear collection
specifically to go with the car. Now you can not only drive the "zaZen", you can
also wear it.