The 2008 BMW GINA concept used what unconventional material for its body?

The 2008 BMW GINA concept used a fabric skin for its body. BMW stretched an elastic, water-resistant, translucent man-made fabric over a movable frame, creating a surface unlike conventional metal-bodied cars.

The skin was polyurethane-coated Spandex, designed to resist temperature changes, swelling, shrinking, and damage from repeated movement. Electric and hydraulic actuators changed the underlying frame, allowing features such as headlights, doors, engine access, and a rear spoiler to appear through openings in the fabric.

GINA was developed by a BMW design team led by Chris Bangle, with construction beginning in 2001 and the completed concept presented in 2008. The name is commonly expanded as “Geometry and functions In ‘N’ Adaptions.”

A common mix-up is confusing the fabric skin with the structure beneath it. Aluminum wire formed much of the frame, while flexible carbon struts supported areas requiring extra movement, but the visible body covering was fabric.