Auto Design

According to Turin and Detroit insiders, the famous Italian coachbuilder Zagato has just completed the new (and rather unusual) Alfa Romeo TZ 3 “Stradale” that was expected to be unveiled in May this year at the Concorso d’Eleganza di Villa d’Este but instead it will be seen in public for the first time at Pebble Beach in August. And that is for a good reason and a good cause, as we shall see in a moment. 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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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.

South African carmaker Perana Performance Group is making its first international appearance at the Geneva Motor Show on the Zagato exhibit. There, the world famous Italian designer will be showing their all-new Perana Z-One (read Piranha Zee-One). Read the rest of this entry »

Chrevolet 2009 Corvette ZR 1

In my post yesterday I offered two contradigting infromation concerning the dream cr that Zagato will be unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show. I said it is to be powered by a big V8 and speculated it might be a Viper. The trouble is that the Viper has always come with a V10 engine, not a V8. This means that Zagato dream-car is going to be built on a different platform. In this case I tend to think of a Corvette. Wouldn’t you?

I.de.a. Institute Era for the Geneva Motor Show.

 All mouths are kept shout in Turin about what the Italian coachbuilder will be showing at the Geneva Motor Show, early next month, but it is already clear that Fioravanti, Italdesign and Zagato will be showing a world-première whereas Idea and Pininfarina will be displaying something “deja vu” but further developed. Pininfarina will take its ultimate development of the Bolloré Zero electric four door, four seater, all-round-city- sedan in new colour scheme and with a more sophisticated interior design. Read the rest of this entry »

 Famous Italian coach builder Zagato has announced today a strategic alliance with the Indian group of companies “Autoline Industries Ltd.  The alliance is concrete and solid with Autoline taking a “strategic” 49% stake in the Italian company through a capital increase. The Zagato family retains a 51% stake. The parties have not unveiled the amount invested by Autoline into Zagato capital. Autoline has an option to increase its stake and eventually take a majority stake. At this time there is no plan to introduce any changes in the Zagato Centrostile (this is the official name of the company) management.

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There is no doubt that the design of the Bentley Continental GT is a masterpiece, inside and out; and you would expect that everybody would be just happy with it. Actually, since its launch, the British brand is a striking success and sales are much better than anticipated.

Yet, Zagato – which are through their stimulating renaissance just like Bentley – has been able to give this very fast (600 HP turbocharged W12 engined) four-seater, two-door coupé a new personality, with a more emotional and indulgent style by simply re-shaping its skin. The car is more sensual now and yet its style is shaper, sophisticated and distinguished. It has the perfect style of a bespoke – tailor made – motorcar. Read the rest of this entry »