This
vehicle, ordered by Volkswagen France from the Espera school
in Pontarlier, has the unique feature of being entirely
adapted for paraplegics. The usual controls are replaced by a
joystick (brake by pulling backwards and gas pedal by pushing
forwards). The gearbox, as on all vehicles adapted for
disabled use, is automatic. Important detail: two wheelchairs
can be stowed in the interior of this special Sharan.
The Sharan Sahara
is a six-seater roadster specially designed for the disabled
(photo by Dingo for Option Auto).
Heir to the Espider
The Sharan Sahara is a 6-seater convertible
with a decidedly sporty look. Six bucket seats installed in
the open under a roll bar and fixed to an aluminum floor, an
adapted chassis, ground clearance lowered by 40 mm, 20-inch
wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 275/35 barely concealed
by widened fenders, a six-cylinder Volkswagen engine (VR6 with
174 hp), four-wheel drive, Brembo brakes from Porsche! In
short, VW's family minivan is a long way off !
In collaboration
with the Passeport Liberté association, the Sahara was
created by Espera Pontarlier students.
Designed for the handicapped
This roadster, reminiscent in spirit of the
Renault Espace Spider, is a fine initiative on the part of
Volkswagen France and Sbarro, and a welcome change from the
vehicles usually offered to paraplegics (with the exception
of Philippe Streiff's Gillet Vertigo).
No roof, no
windows, widened fenders, 20-inch wheels - the Sharan gets
really sporty.
Extract from the press release
"This project is the
culmination of the year's school program, which included the
transformation of a 4x4," emphasizes Franco Sbarro, pointing
out that his school is thus honoring "an exclusive contract
with the race organization to supply a parade vehicle each
year, as part of a partnership with a manufacturer. Managing
the 24 Hours of Le Mans project on behalf of the German
manufacturer VW this year was no mean feat. "There was a lot
of suffering, perspiration and incubation," says Louis
Laurent, Espera's managing director. The challenge was to
take a VW Espace Sharan and create a vehicle with the
characteristics of a racing car, while at the same time
making it accessible to people with reduced mobility.´"It's
the idea of the Freedom Passport developed by GVF with
former F1 driver Philippe Streiff, who had an accident on a
racetrack, to give disabled people a taste for getting
around again", explains Louis Laurent. This vehicle will be
presented in all the French dealerships of the GVF group
brands, in order to test the interest of the public
concerned, with a view to possibly manufacturing a more
sober version in series. A dozen students have been working
on this GVF order since March. "VW provided us with a set of
specifications and drawings as a basis for our work,
recommending that we produce something that strikes the eye
in terms of color and shape, and which obviously does not
fail in its objective of being accessible to the disabled",
notes Joël, one of the students."
In brief
1- Vehicle designed for the opening of
the Le Mans 24-hour race in 2000
2- Adapted for the disabled, in
collaboration with Philippe Streiff
In brief
1- Vehicle designed for the opening of the Le Mans 24-hour race in 2000
2- Adapted for the disabled, in collaboration with Philippe Streiff
3- Ordered by Volkswagen