A single full hybrid Lexus LS 600h L Landaulet offer one piece, transparent polycarbonate roof will serve the royal carriage official marriage at the marriage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco to Mrs Charlene Wittstock Saturday July 2, 2011.
Equipped with Lexus Hybrid Drive, Prince Albert LS 600h L offers all the performance and comfort expected of a Lexus badge, and generates much less CO2, NOx and particles than any other comparable vehicle.
"Lexus is proud to present this exceptional size of the hybrid car of HSH Sovereign Prince of Monaco," said Andy Pfeiffenberger Vice President of Lexus Europe. "Our commitment to innovation and sustainable mobility in the Lexus matches well with his interest in Serene Highness' in sustainable development and environmental protection."
State-of-the-art conversion carried out in Belgium by the famous body builder Carat Duchatelet closely with Lexus engineers in Brussels. It took more than 2000 hours. The fundamental aim of the project was to ensure that the finished car to maintain the level of quality and diversity of nature in all Lexus, while maintaining all performance, safety and dynamic properties of the original LS 600h L.
The conversion process began with extensive calculations of computer-aided design, simulation and modeling 3-D. Strengthening the range of applications required in the body of the last structures of honeycomb, kevlar and carbon fiber in order to maintain chassis rigidity and torsional stiffness after removal of the roof and pillars.
Parts made of composite materials require high temperatures for curing. These components have been literally "cooked" in the bare chassis specially prepared in an oven. As a result, much of the first car had to be completely disassembled, involving removal of about 20,000 mechanical parts, electronic components and interior features and furnishings. Reassembly is carried out under the close supervision of Lexus engineering team to ensure consistency with the original specifications and performance of the vehicle.
Painting and polishing is a key step prior to assembly. The royal wedding LS 600h L is finished in elegant midnight blue livery, which was applied manually using multiple layers of a measure, ecological water-based paint.
The transparent roof was a challenge as well as the design, because the big one, without the reinforcements and the pillars, and its production, which has sought the cooperation of the vendor specializing in Lexus, the same elements of the aviation industry. Detachable roof was built in France, one of the world's leading transparent-productions. This is a company mainly provides highly specialized complex parts of an exceptionally high specification, such as a windshield helicopter and fighter canopies.
The roof is a simple, lightweight polycarbonate, just 8 mm thick and weighs only 26 kg. Attached to the box on the Lexus through two intermediate pieces, allowing full visibility inside and outside the vehicle.
Before the development of transparent roof itself, a structure model honeycomb and carbon fiber were used to validate the form, structural integrity and a perfect fit to the vehicle body within the tolerances of less than 1 mm. With a complete design, was the extreme precision of production carried out by robotic tools that processed the final canopy of a fully automated process.
On the wedding day, the Lexus LS 600h L Landaulet be used by the royal couple to visit the Principality after the ceremony. The tour will lead the Palace of the Rock to the harbor and along the Boulevard Albert I at Sainte Devote church where, as is tradition, the princess leave her bridal bouquet Monegasques ahead. For most of this trip, the car is operating in full zero emission mode, driving under the power of the electric motor alone, thus confirming the environmental benefits of Lexus Hybrid Drive.
With the end of the celebration, the only Lexus Landaulet will be first shown at the Media Center and later at the Oceanographic Museum, where visitors can see a remarkable reminder of an opportunity.
