Japanese automaker Nissan has designed and built the world's largest Zorb ball for the one and only purpose of dropping a full-size car inside and rolling it down the gentle hill. As far as original ideas are concerned, we have to give them a 10 for originality!
The giant Zorb ball measures six meters in diameter, which is about twice the norm. Nissan has nicknamed it the CarZorb and that's because the man in the middle is actually a car, a Note supermini to be more precise. This 5-door model is sold in both Europe and America, measures about 4.1 meters in length and weighs as much as 14 average people.
The whole stunt was put together at a secret military based in Britain, the only place large enough for Nissan to roll a whole car down a hill without worrying about what it might crash into.
CarZorb weighs more than a ton and took two months to build. Nissan commissioned it to visually represent their innovative Safety Shield technology, which it describes as "a suite of driver assistance technology to alert motorists to potential hazards." In simpler terms, it combines Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Warning and Moving Object Detection into one package.
“The Nissan Note has been carefully engineered to provide motorists with a whole range of technology that creates a protective bubble around you and your car. Our Safety Shield technology in particular is unrivaled amongst other small family cars. Creating a life size CarZorb to highlight the technology is an exciting and memorable way of reminding people about the benefits of Nissan’s Safety Shield," Bastien Schupp, Vice President Strategy & Marketing, comments.
The wiki of Zorb
The sport of "Zorbing", which is also known as globe-riding or orbing, originated in New Zealand. It's generally done outdoors using gravity and a gentle hill to move. However, indoor applications in clubs or gyms are also common. According to Guinness, the fastest speed ever achieved in a Zorb is 52 kilometers per hour (32 mph).
As fun as Zorbing might be, there have been recorded deaths including one famous example recored on video in January 2013. One man died of a broken neck and the second was seriously injured after their ball rolled out of control down a mountain, hitting rocks.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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