Auto Design

by Enrico Leonardo Fagone.

“The automobile today is an individual means of transport within a complex system of collective transport. The relations within such a system can­not be ignored. The individual means of transport has to submit to the constraints imposed by the system. This implies a form of transport that fulfils certain fun­ctions: hence a functional vehicle. The designers of car bodies are clearly faced with new structures, new tasks: scienti­fic and technological evolution is a stimu­lus but at the same time a warning not to remain anchored to the positions of the past and present.” (Pio Manzù)

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With most new concept cars actually relying on hybrid technology or Electric drive only, there were three traditional concepts cars. The first was a dream car, the Mazda MX-5 (Miata) Super Light. The other two came both from Mini: the Mini Coupé and Roadster, both previewing the spirited design that will set the next Mini “Twin” models apart. Read the rest of this entry »

It is called McLaren MP4-12C and it has been designed by Frank Stephenson.

I am offering you a selection of official images with not much words at this time. For two reasons. I am in a hurry and, despite McLaren has released a 29 pages text I have no clue about what this car is going to be really, for the very simple reason that McLaren has been very careful at not release any data that would its competitors critical information about its overall weight (the supercar body is made of carbon fibre and light alloys) and dimensions.

What is clear is that the ultimate McLaren is a top performer designed and engineered to compete in the core segment of the supercars market. Read the rest of this entry »

LILLI BERTONE HAS FULL CONTROL OF “STILE BERTONE”.

Lilli Bertone, the strongly minded widow of the late Nuccio Bertone, is reportedly the only owner of the Stile Bertone design think tank as of July 28^th. After the Turin Court ruled that Mrs. Bertone has the right to a minimal majority stake in the company, with the remaining 49.9periodical in the hands of her two sisters, the Bertone matriarch has succeeded in buying them out and ensure herself 100% of the stakes into Stile Bertone. Read the rest of this entry »

Different designers have different approach to communication, publicity and image.

Even before starting his new Corvette ZR1 Mantide, Jason Castriota, designed and organised a massive communication campaign banking on internet, video-clip and photo shooting. By the time the Mantide was ready for its unveling everyone knew about it.

On the contrary Ercole and Paolo Spada entirely focused on what they love most: car design. They did not care much about marketing, public relations, photo shooting et all. When it was first unveiled in Monte Carlo last year only those belonging to the inner circles of design had heard about it, via internet of course. Than came the printed press.

Through the months passed since that unveiling, it has emerged that the Spada Codatronca is not the easiest car to photograph and based on the pictures that have appeared so far it was easy to either love or hate the car.

Time had come for the Spada to realize that someone had to look at the Codatronca with the eyes of a photographer and they have organised a photo shooting (and many hours of photoshop, or a similar software) , to present their very special Corvette ZR1 in a different perspective. Obviously the growing rivality between the Codatronca and Mantide is playing a role. For the good of car designers and the public.

Here, I am glad to be the first to offer you a selection of “different perpectives” of the Spada Codatronca. Well I would b, if only we could manage to get Flickr work as it is intended to. Come back until the link to the photo gallery works all right. Thank you

Complete Photo Gallery:

According to some reports, Stile Bertone has stated that it plans to accept up to ten orders for their Corvette ZR1 Mantide “one off”, each carrying a price tage of 2 million dollars. That is some 1.6 million euros, just 0.1m euros higher than the price Jason Castriota mentioned when I talked to him at the Villa d’Este Concorso a couple of weeks ago. The add-on is probably the price of the full-optional ZR1 serving as the starting point for their job. Read the rest of this entry »

The Concorso d’Eleganza di Villa d’Este this years has been as good as the weather. That is to say that half of it was very good, with peaks of excellence, and the remaining half was bad, raining and boring, with touches of ugliness.

 By the end of the elegant week-end on the Lake of Como, one would say it was not one the best edition ever but still offered enough interesting cars to look at, people to greet and talk to, and subjects to discuss.

As such it was one not to be missed. Those who did not attend it missed the extremely rare chance of hearing the sibilo and smelling the pollution of its turbine engine, not to mention seeing this extraordinary visualisation of the dreams about the cars of the future they were dreaming in the fifties and sixties.

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 Eventually, the big day for Jason Castiota with Stile Bertone came yesterday. Its Stile Bertone Corvette ZR1 Mantide was presented to a small number of friends, colleagues, suppliers and friends, at the superlative Fiat Group Automobiles proving ground in Balocco just a couple of hours after the latest details were fixed in Caprie. Faithful to the coachbuilder tradition the one-off came late to the meeting, as if that had been orchestrated to further tease those eager to see it and get a first hand impression. Well, my first impression is that the Mantide look fine in pictures and a lot better in reality. Some fussy detail in the back are much less obvious, the roof profile looks very dynamic and express a clear message of high speed, the design is structured and occasionally complex but the main surfaces are perfectly mastered. It is at the front that Castriota’s team has left room for improvement. Obviously organising in a harmonius composition the never-ending surface of the front bonnet is not easy, especially when you want to make a strong impression. The many facets of the front seem to be inspired to a diamond but the outcome is not so brillant. In action, at very reasonable speeds (no problem was the imperative), the silhouette look very exciting and by the end of the day I might end up liking this design better than that of the Pininfarina P4/5 Ferrari Enzo. According to Jason Castriota, the Mantide might be sold to a Chinese enthusiast. The price is now at 1.5 million Euros, but those who are ready to pay some 650,000 euros for one the five units (one per continent?) might get one to their own specifications. Bertone  would love to build if as many orders are placed after the car is presented, tomorrow, at the Concorso d’Eleganza di Villa d’Este.   

Interiors, details, people and more in the photo gallery:  

Eventually, the day to show what Jason Castriota can deliver when left on his own (and his team) and free to run the show, with all the freedom and confidence that Bertone has traditionally assured to his designers. Nuccio Bertone designed cars with his imagination and confidence in his team. He created fanous designers and I am sure he would have given a chance to Jason. Read the rest of this entry »

Far from Turin and Italy, someone else realized how favourable the Chevrolet Corvette chassis and performance package is good. That is the South African carmaker Perana Performance Group that made its first international appearance at the Geneva Motor Show on the Zagato exhibit. There, the world famous Italian designer presented their all-new Perana Z-One (read Piranha Zee-One) designed for the South African company in view of a “limited production” of 999 units per year and with a very strict selling price target, suggested at € 50,000 before taxes.

Here we are not talking of the top version with compressor and 620 HP but of the 6.2 litre V8 engine credited of 440 HP (328 kW) in its setting for Euro 4 emission standards.

The design had to meet the technical requirements of the planned production technology based on fibreglass bodywork, just as the original Chevrolet Corvette.

This high performance two-seater coupé marries a traditional steel-frame chassis, with front engine and rear wheel drive, with the sensual, fluid and yet powerful surfaces tailored to express a sense of commitment to high speed, designed by the talented Nori Harada in the typical Zagato style.

The proportions and volume of Z-One are even tighter, accentuated by a couple of long and dynamic curves with sharp edges which visually integrate strong design features such as the engine bay air outlets on both sides. Surfaces defined by those cutting edges are even more sculptured maintaining the modern Zagato style developed through the past decade.

Whereas the power is a little more than two-thirds of the Spada and Stile Bertone Corvettes, the performance and driving pleasure are only 15% inferior but the selling price is a fifth of the Codatronca and I am very curious to learn the selling price of the Mantide to check out at which fraction the Perana Z-One will sell for.

All right, the Perana Z-One is much less sophisticated and precious as a car but when it comes to design the emotion-for-price rating is easy to evaluate.

It is unfair to compare now the Codatronca with the Perana Z-One. The quality of their pictures is so different. This should be fixed shortly after the Concorso D’Eleganza when I expect to be able to photograph the Perana Z-One in daylight. In the meantime, I can offer you these images shot at the Geneva Motor Show last month.

Zagato is celebrating its 90^th anniversary, under the leadership of founder grandson Andrea Zagato.