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A sleek and speedy debut 0 E( v# C9 V* o( O! n3 b8 U1 pIt's made of carbon fibre, powered by a 700bhp turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa engine and an electric motor and its makers claim it will eventually be capable of 0-258mph acceleration in 19 seconds and a maximum of 450mph, at which speed it will deliver 17.6mpg. "It is a perfect engine, I love it," says Acabion's chief research officer, Peter Maskus. / Y% ?6 A9 S& ?# EWhen it goes on sale in 2009, the Acabion GTBO 70 will only be capable of 150mph, but its maker claims the 300kg vehicle is the world's most exclusive; production from 2007 to 2011 is limited to 26 examples. 3 N/ l/ d& a& m4 a& r" D6 I* @, {
"As an engineer I worked for Porsche, Mercedes and BMW," says Maskus. "All those cars are inefficient; they originate from the horse-drawn carriage with their four big wheels and rectangular shape. The Acabion is the new ideal of sporting and responsible mobility." The Acabion resembles another enclosed, tandem seating, feet-forward motorcycle, the Ecomobile, although that was bulkier and powered by a BMW motorcycle engine, with a top speed of 161mph, 0-62mph in 5.7sec and a steady 56mph fuel consumption of 68mpg. , u8 Z6 X/ E3 W : B* c. {# C) h" P8 q h' X w; J8 q0 \( G. ~8 u' {6 s9 s