#BenBowlby

The radical, DeltaWing based Nissan BladeGlider electric car concept revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show will go into production within three years, according to Nissan’s engineering chief Andy Palmer. Nissan executives also confirmed that a test mule of the RWD electrically powered three seater is already functional and that Ben Bowlby, who originated the DeltaWing concept, is involved in the BladeGlider project.

Nissan sees the BladeGlider as an affordable sports car for young people. “When I was growing up the principle was that young people wanted a sports car and their parents hated the idea of them – the problem with all of today’s sports cars is that they are actually owned by parents,” said Palmer. “We are exploring ways of getting back to a sports car that is affordable, challenging and appealing for young people.”

It’s said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and you can usually tell that something is a practical idea from the number of people who rush to embrace it. Threatened lawsuits over who owns the idea are also a clue that there may be potential in it. When the DeltaWing concept was first introduced at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show as a possible formula for IndyCar, Ben Bowlby’s needle-nosed idea had a lot of skeptical reactions. Now it has imitators including an “exploratory prototype” of a possible production car by Nissan, to be introduced soon at the Tokyo Auto Show.