SPECIFICATION
this car would be up there with Hannibal Lecter. But there's more to the Mercedes F400 Carving than the radical styling which took the Tokyo Motor Show by storm. The F400 showcases what the German company thinks will be the sports car of the future - and it's all down to something called Active Tyre Tilt Control.
It all works by angling the outer wheels into a bend, just as a cyclist would. As soon as you turn the steering wheel, a computer gets to work, calculating the optimum angle of the rubber to ensure maximum grip.
To make this happen properly, a wheel had to be built with different sizes on the same rim - it's 19 inches on the outside but just 17 inches for inside. This sounds quite odd, but the variation in size allows for the rubber to always remain in contact with the ground - even when the wheel is placed at its most extreme angle.
Auto Express drove the SLK-engined F400 prototype at a test track, and we can vouch that the system gives incredible levels of road-holding. Engineers told us the system provides 30 per cent more lateral stability than a car with a conventional set-up. There are also huge safety implications with ATTC. By putting all four wheels outwards on to their most adhesive side in an emergency stop, tests have shown that the system can knock five metres off the normal 33 metres required to stop from 60mph - the difference between life and death.
But the innovation doesn't stop there. Rather than have a conventional steering column, the Carving uses a computer linkage. Although it lacked the feel of a mechanical system, technicians say they can alter the feedback as required, in a similar way to the latest video arcade games.
The main benefit is safety - with no steering rack in the way, the powerplant can be set lower into the chassis making the car safer in accidents since there's less chance of cabin intrusions. Ped- estrians benefit, too - the extra space be-tween bonnet and engine minimises injury. Expect to see this techno-logy in our showrooms by 2008. Gavin Ward