The past inside, the future outside
The Belgian Imperia Automobiles produces a plug – in hybrid old – timer replica. Partially or fully electric powered vehicles enhance usually with a futuristic design their technicality pointing to the future.
Though according to a Belgian manufactory there would be demand to instil the modern technologies in the classic style. Looking at the result we have to agree with them...
The mankind yearns back to the past since that moment when it firstly grasped the notion of the time and the death. This makes the more hundreds of the smaller – bigger workshops of the world to survive which revivify those once legendary automobiles. Though with these replicas they make a mockery of those modells which were counted as forward pointing and revolutionary types in their times, as they build up their copies usually on out – of – date, albeit tough and easily repairable technical basics – in brief they copy the valuable with cheap materials.
The two – seater of Imperia Automobiles is not a modern transcription of a certain old – timer modell, only a portrait of an era, any legendary constructeurs of the bygone days still could be proud of the technology working under the body. The creators planned namely instead of the custom air – cooled boxer engine a modern hybrid drive train under the short sport car which so alloys the cream of two worlds in one spectacular, albeit bit funny design.
The composit body parts mounted on the steel space frame (the story is standardized so far) hide the pair of a 1.6 litre, 200 HP turbo engine and a 150 HP 350 Nm electro engine The latter is powered by a 355 V lithium – polymer battery package, on a range of more than 60 kilometers as well. To fully charge the 11 kWh capacity battery 4 hours are needed, but logically the system charges it also on the way in course of the deceleration (resp. on part – load).
The two energy resources together help the little car to reach grandiose drive dynamics: in hybrid mode the Imperia needs 4 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100. The driver can decise by itself (due to the energy level of the battery) if he / she wants to entirely eliminate the petrol engine out of the drive; in such a case as well it only takes laudable 6 seconds to reach the speed of 100 km / h.
Regarding the energy consumption of the hybrid or electric vehicles (chargeable from networks) most of the manufacturers – consciously or through ignorance – mislead the public with fake half – information. Though besides that the Imperia publishes the grandiose standardized datas (1,9 l/100km, 50 g/km CO2 emission), and also the electricity consumption of it's vehicle, moreover, it also marks the total energy balance (which takes the production of the electricity also into consideration) and the emission of hazardous gases measured from the source to the utilization (well – to – wheel). According to these the sport car (orderable in optional colours) offers approx. the emission values of a diesel Smart Fortwo, beside driving dynamics measurable to super sportcars.
The Imperia is not only because of it's driving performances, but also because of it's price ranked among the latters. Compared to that, that there will be only 50 pieces produced, it's net price of 103 thousand Euros, i. e. roughly 30 million Forints, purchasing it counts as reasonable.
