The ECV3 is a

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

developed by

British Leyland British Leyland was an automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partl ...

's BL Technology division, led by

Spen King Charles Spencer "Spen" King (26 March 1925 – 26 June 2010) was a significant figure in the Rover Company and, after their takeover, in the British Leyland Motor Corporation.After leaving school in 1942, he was first apprenticed to Rolls-Royc ...

. The ECV3 was first shown to the public in December 1982, and was the third in a series of Energy Conservation Vehicles that BL was developing, incorporating new engine technologies and construction materials. The prototype is on display at the Gaydon

Heritage Motor Centre The British Motor Museum in Warwickshire, England holds the world's largest collection of historic British cars, with over 300 cars on display from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust. History The creation o ...

Technical details

The ECV3 was powered by an experimental 3-cylinder, 12-valve 1.1 L (1113 cc) petrol engine, developing @ 5,800 rpm and torque of @ 3,750 rpm, and mated to a manual 5-speed transmission. The engine was a lightweight 84 kg. While the engine did not reach production, it did lead to the design of the 1988 K-Series engine. The car is built using an aluminium spaceframe chassis, co-developed with

Alcan Alcan was a Canadian mining company and aluminum manufacturer. It was founded in 1902 as the Northern Aluminum Company, renamed Aluminum Company of Canada in 1925, and Alcan Aluminum in 1966. It took the name Alcan Incorporated in 2001. During t ...

, and was the first ever bonded structure, and the body incorporates flexible plastic body panels made of polyurethane reinforced reaction injection moulding (PU-RRIM). The design of the five-door hatchback was unconventional, but resulted in a low . The car was claimed to have a top speed of , and could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 11 seconds. The prototype also demonstrated packaging efficiency, being a short

supermini The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent of ...

sized car, but offering family car sized accommodation.

References

{{reflist ECV3