Rinspeed Bedouin History

Shown at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, the Rinspeed Bedouin used the Porsche 911 (996) Turbo 4×4 platform, fitted with a custom Eibach suspension raising ride height roughly 15 cm above the standard car. Its twin-turbocharged flat-six, tuned to 420 hp on compressed natural gas, propelled the 1,640 kg vehicle to 100 km/h in approximately 5.9 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

The defining feature was its electrically actuated roof: two motors drove jackscrews that lifted the entire roof section; the front panel folded to become the tailgate window while the rear panel became a cargo bed. The sequence took less than ten seconds, converting a two-seat sports pick-up into a four-seat wagon. An electrically powered tailgate extended the bed by an additional 45 cm when fully lowered. The Bedouin was a unique prototype and did not enter production.