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These sketches are a radical departure from the tried-and-true blueprint for the optimal racing shape. They were penned by Mazda’s North American research and development centre in response to an annual design competition run in conjunction with last week’s LA Auto Show. Titled Motor Sports 2025, the competition asked the California-based design studios of nine leading car makers to look into their crystal balls and draw the type of racing car we might see on tracks by the year 2025.
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Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen also responded with two-dimensional renderings and concept descriptions but it was Mazda’s zero-emission three-wheeler - the Kaan - that got the judges’ nod.
Mazda’s designers say an electric motor and a patented electronic tyre system - designed to run on a racetrack surfaced with an electro-conductive polymer - would help the Kaan achieve astonishing speeds of up to 402 km/h without harming so much as a blade of grass, courtesy of its emission-free drivetrain.
The only thing we can’t figure out is how the Kaan will turn corners. The design renderings don’t appear to show any steering system and the tyres look as though they run on fixed hubs. Perhaps, rather than aiming for formula one in 2025, this design is headed for the drag-racing strip instead.
