Himmel 490B

Himmel 490B
Manufacturer	Himmel
Appearance	Ridge Racer 6 Ridge Racer 7
Class	Special (Ridge Racer 6) 1 (Ridge Racer 7)
Engine	Electric motors in each wheel hub
Drivetrain	4WD
Handling type	Special (Mild)
Nitrous type	Hi-Nitrous (Ridge Racer 7 Only)

• Ridge Racer 6
• Ridge Racer 7

"A concept machine that demonstrates Himmel's love for RR (rear engine, rear wheel drive) machines. The inline-6 is the result of Himmel's vision of creating the best engine that produces the most torque."

―In-game description

"A bizarre machine with a highly flexible frame. The special H-shaped frame and the torque motor control system fitted inside each wheel provides this machine with its legendary Himmel stability."

―In-game description

The Himmel 490B is Himmel's special machine in Ridge Racer 6 and 7.

Overview

The 490B is very unusually designed, using an H-shaped chassis with three hulls, a suspended cockpit in the middle, linked by a bridging structure on the roof, and also features high definition camera lenses on the front, reminiscent of a catamaran (and also making a reference to Himmel's "H" logo).

The cockpit, when the car is being viewed isn't visible, which could hint to this also being an unmanned, autonomous self-driving car. Further evidence of this is that there is no visible mechanism to open the car.

This unusual design, reminiscent of "eco-marathon" cars (known for their unusual and aerodynamic shapes) brings the center of gravity quite low and the weight distribution very even. The car may also be inspired by both the Ferrari Modulo or even the 1970 Lamborghini Miura Le Mans concept due to the peculiar and futuristic design.

In Ridge Racer 6, it is stated to feature an inline-6 engine, but judging by the fact that its exhaust has no backfire, along with its sound, especially in replays in Ridge Racer 7, which is only characterized by near-silent whirring, this could suggest that the 490B is actually an electric vehicle, with the inline-6 potentially in use as a range extender.

It also makes the handling extremely stable, more so than almost any car in the series. The 490B seems to never properly drift, only slide at a slight angle. This is a trademark of Himmel's "mild" drifting type, ensuring absolute stability and control. Another is that the car also possesses very powerful acceleration as well, given the fact its electric motors have plenty of torque.

Judging by the wheels of the car, when the car is in mid-air, the 490B somehow features magnetic, ball-bearing wheel hubs rather than actual tires, given the fact that its triple-hulled chassis does not support a suspension, allowing for freer movement. The “torque motor control system” may also hint to torque vectoring as well, through a differential which allows independent distribution of torque to each individual wheel hub.

Despite the fact that it is an electric vehicle, the 490B is still equipped with a race-spec nitrous system, in particular, Hi-Nitrous. It compensates for this by having a good Ultimate Charge rate, but features the typical features: a stronger horsepower increase compared to regular nitrous at the cost of boost duration but features quick normal charge.

Special Liveries

The Andorgenesis livery.

The Baraduke livery.

The Quox livery.

Trivia

• The 490B is one of two electric vehicles featured in the series, the other being the Terrazi Destroyer.
• The car's description in Ridge Racer 6 appears to contradict its drivetrain layout by mentioning an inline-6 engine and a rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, despite it being an electric vehicle with presumably, and all-wheel drive layout.
  • The design choice of the 490B, especially with the wheel hubs, may support this theory further.
  • As stated earlier, the inline-6 may likely be used as a range extender, although this would mean that it would not be able to power the car directly and would be used in place to create electricity for the motors. Such a feature is never depicted in the game, and electric vehicles with range extenders are not considered hybrids.
• Despite having no visible cockpit, it is possible to change the color of the windshield in Ridge Racer 7.
• The liveries of the 490B in Ridge Racer 6 have racing numbers that reference Porsche 911 generations, such as 993, 996, 911 and 964.
• The 490B name might possibly be a nod to Porsche's 356 series, the predecessor to the 911, of which, they are often named as 356A, 356B or even 356C.
• As it is an electric vehicle, the nitrous system in the 490B may possibly be KERS or ERS (Kinetic/energy recovery systems), where in the game's physics, kinetic energy from drifting is used to further recharge the batteries and provide it with an extra electrical boost. However, there are still vapor trails coming out of its tailpipe, despite it not producing any backfire.
• The 490B's tailpipe has taillights. Technically speaking, as nitrous in the Ridge Racer series produces vapor trails, it could realistically damage and melt said taillights, although realistically, nitrous oxide is not flammable.
• The car could be inspired by the vehicles in the futuristic racing game, Killer Loop.