In 2002, the Swiss company Rinspeed introduced the unusual Presto car — a prototype capable of changing its own dimensions depending on driving conditions. In one position, it was a full-fledged four-seater roadster, and before parking, the car could be transformed into a much more compact two-seater model.
In its standard state, the Presto was about 3.7 meters long. To shorten it, the driver only needed to press a button: an electromechanical drive would activate, after which the rear section of the body would move forward along special guides. The entire operation took approximately 10 seconds. During this time, the car became 74.6 cm shorter, and its length dropped below three meters.
This principle gave the car two immediate use cases. In dense urban areas, the Presto could occupy minimal space, and when passenger transport was required, the body returned to its original position, providing four seats. In other words, one prototype offered two different car formats depending on the specific trip.
What was hidden inside the mechanism
The transformation was based on an electric motor and two mechanical guides. When the car contracted, the rear part of the body did not fold or retract into the structure — it moved entirely forward, thereby reducing the overall length of the car.
Such a scheme, however, had obvious design consequences. The movable body complicated the car and could create problems with ensuring the necessary rigidity. Therefore, Rinspeed did not use the usual design with side doors and windows. The Presto received an open roadster-style body.
The powertrain was also quite unusual for such a concept. Under the hood was a 1.7-liter Mercedes-Benz turbodiesel. The engine could run on a mixture of diesel fuel and natural gas, developed 120 hp, and the maximum torque reached 224 N·m.
The main characteristics of the powertrain were as follows:
- displacement — 1.7 L;
- engine type — Mercedes-Benz turbodiesel;
- power — 120 hp;
- torque — 224 N·m;
- fuel — mixture of diesel fuel and natural gas.
Where the idea of a transformable body came from
The Presto was created as part of Rinspeed's internal competition called Fantasyard. Participants were invited to find new solutions for real mobility problems. One such solution was a car capable of changing its size depending on operating conditions.
A very specific scenario was envisioned. The car could transform on the outskirts of the city, after which the driver would continue driving through narrow streets in its shortened state. When the need for a compact body disappeared, the Presto would expand again and turn into a four-seater car.
Thus, the transformation itself was not just a spectacular trick for an exhibition. The concept was built around a very specific task: to combine the convenience of a full-size four-seater car with the smaller dimensions required in the city.
It took only four months to create the prototype. Local suppliers participated in the work, helping Rinspeed assemble the finished car in such a short time.
After completion, the Presto went to various car exhibitions. Among the venues where the prototype was demonstrated were the Geneva Motor Show and the Melbourne Motor Show. In addition, the unusual car appeared on the Top Gear automotive program.
Why the unusual prototype never went into production
Rinspeed initially did not consider the Presto as the basis for a mass-produced car. The company used such projects primarily as a kind of laboratory where unconventional engineering solutions could be tested.
The Presto also had another feature that played against it as a concept of the early 2000s. Despite the unusual length-changing mechanism, the car turned out to be too practical and realistic. Top Gear journalists even joked about this, noting that for that time, the car was not crazy enough.
At the same time, the problem for which the Presto was created has not disappeared. In large cities, it is still necessary to use limited space as efficiently as possible, and the ability to reduce the car directly before parking seems like a perfectly logical solution.
But for a mass-produced model, such a design had too many compromises. Several factors remained the main obstacles:
- complexity of the transformation mechanism;
- high cost of such a design;
- the need to ensure sufficient rigidity of the movable body.
Therefore, the Presto remained an experimental car. Rinspeed demonstrated with it the idea of a car that can adapt its size to a specific situation, but this approach never reached mass production.