There has been made quite a few Alfa
concept cars over the years by the Alfa in-house design department
Centero Stile, and by outside design houses like Pininfarina,
Bertone, Zagato and Giugiaro/ItalDesign.
|
|
T H E D E S I G N
|
"For a car to be
aerodynamic, it should resemble a banana. To be roomy it should
resemble a shoe-box. Style lies somewhere in between the
two."
Design has always been an important factor for Alfa Romeo. In
fact, it’s the combination of design and engine that has made it
into the legend it certainly is.
The
1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Touring Coupe was exceptional in
both design, power and handling. With coachwork by Carrozzeria
Touring of Milan, it was described at the time as "the fastest car
in the world". A total of 43 were built and it’s the most
exclusive and expensive Alfa ever. The 8C 2900B was based on the
8C 2900A sports racing cars and were built as "Corto" (short
wheelbase), "Lungo" (long wheelbase) and "Le Mans" version. 10
cars of the Lungo-version were built between 1937 and 1939. Buyers
could choose between the Pininfarina convertible or the closed Touring
Coupe version. A prime example of a Lungo convertible was sold at
Christie’s in 1999 for more than 4 million US dollars! [More
about 8C 2900B]
The classic 1967 Alfa Romeo Type 33 Stradale
was a dream and has numerous times been voted among the sexiest
car designs ever made! Based on the Autodelta Type 33
racing car, only 18 units
were built including two concept versions by Bertone (Carabo – 1968
and Navajo – 1969), one by Pininfarina (Cuneo – 1968) and one by
Italdesign (Iguana – 1969).
The
bodywork for the Stradale was designed and built by Scaglione in Turin and
coachbuilder Marazzi in Milan. The V8-engine was performing 230 hp
at 8.800 rpm. This was enough to carry the only 700 kg coupe to a
maximum speed of 260 km/h. [More
concept cars]
The 1995 GTV/Spider has claimed numerous design and styling awards
throughout Europe, including winning design awards from two of the
UK’s most respected magazines, Autocar and CAR, along with the
prestigious Golden Steering Wheel award in Germany.
The creation of the Spider is
the result of a design partnership between Alfa Romeo’s own
Milan-based styling center "Centro Stile" and the prestigious Italian design
house, Pininfarina.
Established as a car body shop in 1930 in Turin, Pininfarina is now an industrial group involved in design, aerodynamic research, prototype construction and car production. As well as Alfa Romeo,
the client list include such prestigious names as Ferrari, Bentley, Peugeot,
Lancia, Fiat, and Honda, – and it has produced cars that have changed the face of the industry.
The GTV/Spider are available in the colors below. Move the mouse over the
colors and see the Spider change. You can also
check all the body
colors and upholstery combinations, and the optional
trim levels. [Courtesy of
alfaromeo.it]
Take
a 360 degree virtual tour of both the exterior and the interior of
the Spider. In order for it to work, you will need the
"External Surround Video" plug-in, distributed by Fiat
Auto s.p.a. Simply click exterior
or interior,
and press "Yes" when promted. The plug-in will then
download and install automatically. Enjoy! [Courtesy of
alfaromeo.co.uk]
|
|