The Renew Sports Car was conceived by Key West-based former Dell national sales/acquisitations manager Bruce Michael Dietzen, and is characterized by its composition of 100 pounds of hemp bound by resin, so not only this Mazda MX-5-based roadster is lighter than the classic fiberglass sports cars it was inspired by, but its carbon-neutral body is ten times stronger than that of steel. This is beneficial for the car's performance, which is provided from either the same 4-cylinder engine as the NA Miata donor car or upgrades on gas or electricity to produce up to 525 horsepower with the Canna 525 trim, allowing the 2,800-pound vehicle to rival high-performance supercars at a considerably lower price. Performance details of the other two trims launching with the model include the 2,500-pound turbo four-powered Canna 225, with torque rivaling a Porsche 911's at a price starting at $40,000, more than half of that of a base-model 911, and the Canna Electric, converting the car's fuel into electricity, with the motor turning the car into anything from a unique, humble 80-horsepower commuter to a light electric dragster giving Tesla a run for their money.
As consciousness about the environment and the mainstream consumption of hemp is increase (where legal for the latter), it is certain that more cars from small manufacturers like Renew may have a similar structure to that of the Canna series, yet Renew wasn't the first as Ford built a hemp-bodied concept car back in 1941, with Renew modernizing the product. Additionally, the company aims to produce carbon-negative automobiles by 2025. $200,000 was invested for the original prototype, which is this unit.
Image date: July 2015
Vehicle - Cars and Trucks, Land - Cars
Links: www.thedrive.com, www.cnbc.com, www.renewsportscars.com
By: Carrera
