Morgan LIFEcar concept

Curvaceous, sleek and fast

Morgan LIFEcar concept 0

23 July 2008 10:06 GMT / By Katie Scott

The Morgan LIFEcar (Lightweight Fuel Efficient Car) is an "environmentally responsible sportscar".

Built jointly by the Morgan Motor Company and startup company RiverSimple, its chassis is based on the powerful Morgan Aero 8.

The vehicle uses electric motors to power each 135-section wheel and the body houses a Qinetiq fuel-cell stack and a bank of ultracapacitors within the central tunnel (but not flux capacitors unfortunately).

The roof hinges backwards so you can jump in and the front clamshell of bonnet and wings hinges forward to reveal an aluminium frame, the fuel cells and the front motors.

Inside, springy sheets of veneered plywood form the seats, the footwell and the dashboard out of one piece, with padded leather to soften the body's pressure points.

But - here's the important bit - it can reach 60mph in under seven seconds, top speed is 100mph in short bursts, and it will cover around 150 miles on one tank of hydrogen.

Just look at those curves.