This Toyota Sera was used as a model for the McLaren F1

Posted on 19-03-2015 at 21:32 by Dizono – 30 Comments”

Big chance that you have never of the Toyota Sera have heard, this was also only sold in Japan. Are butterfly doors make it a very special appearance and served in addition to Gordon Murray’s inspiration for his masterpiece.

Conceptcars are fun, but not infrequently is the final production model is just a pale shadow of the original. With that in mind, the Japanese at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1988 probably also look at the Toyota AXV-II. “Nice cart, but with such butterfly doors is, of course, he never on the market.” They had -fortunately – not the end, because in 1990, at the same car show in Tokyo the Sera to shine, including butterfly doors. Sera, as in “Que Sera, Sera” indeed, the French for “will” and in so doing, Toyota the futuristic design of the small sports car stress.

If we Wikipedia are to be believed, it is the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is the first car with such butterfly doors, the Sera is undoubtedly the first serious series-built vehicle with such a door construction. Gordon Murray has let slip that the Sera are a major source of inspiration for the way in which the doors of his McLaren F1 open. Except that F1, get later also, among others, the Saleen S7, Ferrari Enzo and McLaren-Mercedes SLR a similar door construction. Incidentally, could it by the glass, quite warm in the Sera, luckily it was air conditioning standard…

Something less noticeable, but it is definitely progressive, are the projectielampen of the Sera. This makes it one of the first cars with such bulbs, which we have now on so many cars. Subcutaneous goes on quite a conventional technique, among others, the Corolla is hidden. The Sera is only available with the 1.5 5E-FHE engine with less than 110 hp. Fortunately, Murray was inspired by the doors and not by the performance. At the end of 1995, after nearly six years in production, the curtain falls for the Sera. Although the car is never outside of Japan is sold, there are at least two copies on Dutch registration.

Gallery: Toyota Sera

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