Korres Project 4

The Made In Greece genius creation of Dimitris Korres that passes quickly almost everywhere, is indifferent to the terrain and has a suspension that would envy even the most accomplished manufacturers Yannis Tsigris on 16.10.2013 If you have no idea about the Korres Project 4, a look at the internet is enough to understand that some persistent Greek minds can overcome it. The made in Greece vision of Dimitris Korres went through many stages until we reached the 4th in the series of projects that we are dealing with today. The trigger was the worship of the evolution of mechanical engineering which is also his main profession. It started as a hobby on motorcycles and cars and the creation of something special on four wheels came about when he tried to combine the comfort and efficiency of a 2CV suspension on rough terrain with the speed and precision on asphalt of a Mini Cooper. And climbing into the equation… Another hobby of the inventor creator, so it is no coincidence that the Yassou I and II that preceded the Korres Project 4, exceeded all expectations in off-road conditions. The Yassou abandoned the asphalt, climbed the slope at the side of the road and continued their course with characteristic ease where even with an enduro you would find them with sticks. The way they went was a source of inspiration for the name (hello!) and this philosophy has remained in the recent achievement. The ten years of experience in development, shaped a car with the length of a supermini and the width of a muscle car, while a 7-liter V8 from GM nestled in the center of the structure, behind the two and only seats. Theoretically and practically, the 505 horsepower and 640 Nm hurl the 1,600 kg of a steel and aluminum structure to 300 km/h in terms of top speed and in 3.8'' for the first 100 km/h. "But the essence of the matter lies elsewhere"! I felt Dimitris rushing to show me in practice the feats of his construction. Initially on the asphalt, where after I tightened the four-point belt and did a quick scan of the tidy pre-production cabin, I experienced the punch of acceleration in the stomach. In an instant torque spread in 4th gear, 160+ km/h was a piece of cake for the Korres 4, while without steering corrections and with a suspicion of tilt, it swallowed the turns in the mountain unexpectedly easily and effectively with the four-wheel drive screwing the 18-inch wheels where its driver pointed. You had to pursue it to feel the track opening, while sideslip was a matter of mood. However, the impressions from the asphalt, however impressive they may be, do not play a leading role when you have experienced the feats on the dirt. From the first meters on the broken dirt road you realize the intelligence of the suspension. It tramples over cobblestones, planted elbows and rolling and the "thing" does not languish with hardship. The cabin remains unshakeable and only the beastly scissors move up and down without leaving the wheels off the terrain for a moment. The comfort is unexpected for the speed and terrain morphology and with any other I would be in the KAT for spinal fusion at this moment. The secret of success is due to the fact that all the wheels engage with each other both parallel (spring bottles) and diagonally (spanners) during the operation process, they actively cooperate and keep the wheels always on the ground. With the suspension adjusted to the highest position (500 mm distance from the lowest), the Korres 4 turns into a battle tank, literally ignoring the terrain. The incredible thing is that all the wheels are pressed even when the required distance is almost approaching the height of an adult! Last scene of the day and the Korres 4 has the suspension set to an intermediate position and with Dimitris at the helm it opens roads! It breaks walls, swallows rocks and stirs up dirt like a madman for a Dakar-level adventure. A little further down the road descends, narrows and I realize that we are crossing a stream on our way to find oil! On the left, the smallest stone competes with a full-face helmet and on the right the corner of my eye tries to believe that what it sees is not ... "a well"! And yet it was and the "thing" passed with a strong jolt and that was all. Instantly images of disintegrated limbs, wheels taking off independently in the air and a Project that would remain a Project, but proved that in the end the Greek is "strong bone". I turned around, relieved and with a wide eye, and looked at him, but the unruffled creator was smiling silently… Come on, hello… No matter how skeptical you are about the capabilities of the Korres Project 4, a ride with it is capable of making you swallow your tongue in shame. Of course, if you are looking for the ultimate on asphalt and tracks, there are options, if you are a trail enthusiast, you can settle for a hardcore 4×4 that you will throw an extra fleet of euros to make it combat-ready, and if you are looking for fast, racing-level behavior on dirt, you can build a car at a house specialized in rallying to enjoy your hobby. However, one that combines all of the above to the highest degree is difficult to count on the first finger I hold on my hand. The creation of Dimitris Korres, even in its Preproduction period, excels and is already gaining the recognition it deserves, if you surf the internet. Until it reaches the production stage, which we hope will happen immediately, overcoming any difficulties, the Korres Project 4 maintains, in addition to its uniqueness in its kind, a good reason to closely monitor the developments that want its price to be lower than € 200,000.