Italian Concept Cars Archives - CARS // MOTORBIKES

Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 Superflow

The Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 Superflow was a dream car. Actually, four dream cars! ‘Dream cars’ are offbeat design prototypes. Typically, they are displayed at motor shows. In the same way couturiers go out on a limb to impress fashionistas, so coachbuilders create a ‘buzz’ for potential car buyers. So, a catwalk dress is not designed to be worn, just as a concept car is not designed to be driven. In other words, the whole point of a dream car is to make an exhibition of itself!

When it came to creativity, Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina was a past master. His career started in Turin, Italy, in 1930. Pininfarina – his automotive design studio – would become world-famous. In ’46, Alfa presented Pinin and his team with a template. A 3,000cc 246bhp template. Alfa – based in Milan – had built half a dozen cars for experimental purposes. Pininfarina was briefed to put fancier flesh on the Alfa bones. ‘Superflow’ would be the way to go. As in advanced aerodynamics.

The inspiration for the Superflow was the US. Alfa had its sales sights set on America. Stateside motorists had gone gaga over Sixties sci-fi – as they had in the Fifties, too. Basically, they were suckers for anything that smacked of Space. The Ford Mystere had a lot to do with it. Its roof consisted of a transparent plastic bubble. Back in the day, it conjured up images of lunar landing craft and the like. Alfa were minded to cash in on the fad. In all, Pininfarina would have four conceptual shots at the Superflow – namely, the I, II, III and IV. For starters, fins were added to the rear wings. Technically, they were there to assist with high-speed stability. However, it did no harm at all that they also looked Saturn 5 cool. The Superflow’s roof emulated that of the Mystere – since it, too, was made from see-through plexiglass. Likewise, the headlights were covered by the same streamlined material. As things turned out, the Superflow’s space-age charms did not cut it with gizmo-addicted Americans. As a result, Alfa U-turned – and readdressed the European market. Styling briefs would be altered accordingly. Nonetheless, the Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 Superflow had given futuristic wings to Pininfarina’s distinguished design skills.

Italdesign Aztec

The Italdesign Aztec came with dual cockpits. A 2-seater, driver and passenger were ensconced in separate ‘compartments’. It was a concept car, after all! The Aztec was made to commemorate Italdesign’s twentieth anniversary. Its designers never envisaged it on the open road. A group of maverick Japanese businessmen, however, had other ideas!

Giorgetto Giugiaro was chief stylist for the Aztec. As a rule, his work was far from flamboyant. Indeed, he had penned many a family runabout. Who knows – maybe it was just time for him to let his creative hair down. At any rate, Giugiaro was immensely proud of the Aztec. And – certainly, from a visual point of view – it was nothing, if not striking. Slick and sophisticated – and with a silvery sheen – showgoers’ eyes were riveted. The Aztec’s rear end was seriously high-tech. Wrapped around the wheel arches were ‘service centre’ panels. They housed a raft of gizmos and gadgets. There were coded door locks, built-in hydraulic jack controls and engine fluid monitors – just for starters. Somewhat more down-to-earth features included a torch and fire extinguisher. Not forgetting a petrol cap! The Aztec’s interior was equally cutting edge. Communication between the two cockpits, for example, was via electronic headsets!

The Aztec’s engine was a 5-cylinder Audi unit – turbo-charged and transversely mounted. Transmission was Quattro 4-wheel drive. A dual-canopy body allowed easy access to the bay. The Aztec was unveiled in ’88 – at the Turin Motor Show. Among the enraptured onlookers were the aforementioned suits. They were sure there might be a market for the car back in Japan. With the rights to the Aztec safely in their pockets, they set about putting it into production. 50 replicas of the prototype were due to be built – though less than half that number would roll off the line. The bodies were made in Italy. They were then shipped to Germany. There, they were entrusted to engine tuners Mayer MTM – who installed the Audi powerplants. Finally, they arrived in Japan. When transportation costs had been factored in, the Aztec retailed at the yen equivalent of $225,000. That was a lot of money. Each car, though, came with an added extra. Giorgetto Giugiaro signed every Italdesign Aztec personally. He was indeed proud of his outré creation!

Alfa Romeo BAT 7

The Alfa Romeo BAT 7 was a concept car out of the house of Bertone – an Italian coach-building firm, par excellence. The BAT 7 was the work of the young Franco Scaglione – a rising star of the Bertone team. It was one of a series of cars he designed – which also included the BAT 5 and BAT 9.

BAT stood for Berlinetta Aerodinamica Technica. As the name implied, airflow was a key concern. Scaglione’s goal was to decrease cornering drag – while simultaneously increasing frontal downforce. That tied in with another performance box Scaglioni wanted ticked. That 125mph be extracted from a mere 100bhp engine. All these technical criteria were achieved with flying colours. The BAT 7’s drag coefficient was 0.19 – a figure a modern-day supercar would struggle to match. And that, from a car built in ’54! Okay, so it helped that the BAT 7 did not come with roadster-style baggage attached. That said, its sibling – the BAT 9 – did put real miles on the clock.

The BAT 7 served only to strengthen the bond between Alfa and Bertone. The latter had designed the bodywork for the Giulietta Sprint GT – now an established product in the Alfa range. The insights gleaned by Bertone from the three BAT cars had been vital in the GT’s development. Not least, the BAT 7. From its rakish low nose – to the voluptuous folds of its ‘tail-fins’ – air-pressure did not stand a chance. In time, Bertone’s lessons in shape-shifting would be learned by other automotive designers. Few of their creations, though, would have the allure of the Alfa Romeo BAT 7. A manta ray on wheels, the BAT 7 took metalwork to a whole new level. Young Italian coachbuilders – take notes!

Alfa Romeo Carabo

The Alfa Romeo Carabo is one of the most influential concept cars ever created. Think Lamborghini Countach, for example. The Carabo was the ultimate in wedge-shaped styling. As diagonal lines go, the one from the tip of its nose – to the top of its roof – was about as dynamic as it gets. That was in sharp contrast to its cute stub of a tail. Not only did that combination look cool – aerodynamically, it was bang on the money. Show car though it was, the Carabo had a top speed of 160mph. It was, after all, kitted out with a 230bhp V8 engine.

To be fair, the Carabo did not stint on real-world parts. Many of them were honed at the racetrack. Its chassis was spawned by Alfa Romeo’s Tipo 33 competition car. There was double-wishbone suspension all round – as well as disc brakes. For a car that was not built to be driven – at least, not in anger – the Carabo came pretty high-spec.

Marcello Gandini – of design house Bertone – was chief stylist. Certainly, the scissor-doors set-up he drew would become a supercar trademark. When fully flung up, they were not just visually stunning – they were an engineering tour de force, too. The car’s finish was fittingly flamboyant. Metallic green paint was set off by orange highlights. The lightweight glass used – by Belgian firm VHR-Glaverbel – was copper-tinted. It was a gimme that the Carabo wowed the Paris Motor Show, in ’68. Nuccio Bertone – and his Turin-based studio – had delivered. Lamborghini lovers, especially, will be forever indebted to the Alfa Romeo Carabo!