Antonia Terzi disappeared from Formula 1 back in 2004, after the unusual front end of the FW26 was abandoned and a more conventional layout tried. Her role went to Loic Bigois, who stayed with the team for three years before moving to Honda, where he would oversee the Brawn GP World Championship in 2009. Bigois was replaced by Jon Tomlinson, a former Renault aerodynamicist, who has been in charge ever since.
But what happened to Terzi? She had spent three years with Ferrari before joining Williams but after that she dropped out of F1 and became involved with something a little different: the Superbus. This was the brainchild of the unlikely-named Professor Wubbo Ockels of the celebrated Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Ockels is best known as being the first Dutch astronaut, having gone into space aboard the shuttle Challenger in 1985, on the last flight before its accident the following year.
The Superbus is powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries, pushing out 530 hp. The vehicle is made of carbon fibre and is similar in length and width to a public bus, but with the height of an SUV, thus reducing drag significantly. Terzi worked on the aerodynamics of the project, which is backed by the Dutch government, 10 sponsors and more than 50 suppliers. It features rear wheel steering and uses advanced radar and electronic obstacle detection systems. The prototype (below) was built in Germany and has been undergoing tests for the last six months. Although it can be used on the roads, the bus is intended to run on its own specially built tracks, reaching speeds of 155 mph. The Superbus visited Masdar City in the UAE earlier this week. Masdar City is a fully sustainable city, near Abu Dhabi airport. The Dutch hope that the UAE might be willing to fund the construction of a dedicated two-lane highway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which would cut the journey time in half. The idea has the support of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the head of the local automobile club.
“We came here to show the authorities in the UAE that the Superbus is as practical and drivable as it is beautiful,” said Terzi. “It tackles the challenges of mobility, spatial planning, service detail and environmental demands all in one.”
A video of the super bus can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS7idJnIbVA.
Professor Wubbo Ockels… 530bhp, 155mph buses… is it April 1st again??
JamesF1
Doncha love it!
No kidding Joe.
i always weondered what happened to terzi post “walrus” nose. I thought a radical and innovative idea (although it didnt work as expected) would have gained some respect within the f1 world.
She was just one of those names that stood out, like tombazis and dernie. Dont ask me why, its just the way my brain works.
And if remember correctly was hired from Ferrari.
This stuff makes me proud to be Dutch! And exactly these kind of articles makes you stand out Joe!
Thank you for that!
A superbus? Sounds like something one might dream about after eating too much cheese.
So,
Will this be a new supporting race at every GP and will it get around the hairpin!!!
Sorry couldn’t resist.
She’s done it again.
….another Walrus!
Looks more like the ultimate stretched limo rather than a bus!
This is an interesting video about the superbus, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj5bsQx. The ending is a bit strange, it looks like it gets stuck trying to do a u-turn….
Definite resemblance to the FW26, looks just about as wieldy around a track too!
Thish Buss is goings very quickly….or is that down to what i hav ben schmokin ?
Superb !
Looks like something out of a Thunderbirds episode!
This is the future for inter-city travel as far as I can see
If you have to build a special track, why not build a highspeed train? Less up-front costs?
Hope they have not made the mistake of having the water tank above the kitchen again, that was nearly disastrous before! Self changing tyres as in the film??
To be serious, you definitely need a dictatorship to get things done. A dedicated road? In the UK would take at least twenty years but then be restricted to 50mph for H&fS reasons. (postmen no longer allowed to cross the road because of the mental age of those in power.) (I blame Tony Blair)
We still have counties in the UK with no motorway access, I live in one, but then there is no traffic and there is a secret to driving in Lincs.
The Dutch have a different outlook on traffic, seeing as their road network is built to favour the bicycle at all junctions, so a dedicated road may be a logical request in Holland or the Nederlands. (I still recall the solid wall of hundreds of cyclists leaving the Concern, the first time I arrived at the gates of Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken in Eindhoven. ) towns are full of Bendy-Busses.
So,….”It may be a bus Jim, but not as we know it”
Shame that all the reporting from the whole Middle East region only covers the ridiculous excesses and not such things as the slavery on which much of the wealth is based:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/apr/12/nepali-slaves-united-arab-emirates-video?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3787
Why do we need a bloody uprising in, for example, Bahrain or Syria to make us aware of the plight of ordinary people?
The internet is supposed to democratize information and enhance social justice (i.e., the bad people have nowhere to hide) but I guess that notion relies on the rest of us being interested in things that aren’t shiny (and stupid)…
Sorry Joe, but these idiotic projects utilize talent that could actually be working on making a real difference…
I saw the superbus recently in Dubai. I have no idea why anyone would opt for it over a train. It looks to be hugely expensive and only a matter of time until it crashes.
I can think of no better way to describe it, than it being the group lotus of public transport options…
Nick, I think you have got the advantages to a wealthy crowd nailed. This looks expensive, and having a dedicated lane is bound to work then.
I think ist a great idea.
Actually a train would not be right in that environment and for the relatively short distance travelled. And it would have do a trip in larger intervals with a larger pay load to be efficient.
This can go in invervals from 10 minutes to every hour dependant on traffic demand.