|
|
Lancia GT concept
by Jon Winding-Sørensen
Lancia chose the low-key Barcelona Motorshow to present a concept car, which is said to give a good idea of what the future will bring for this noble Turin marque.
The Granturismo Stilnovo has the size of a logical Delta successor and it had the shape and outline of a three door hatchback. And it carried the unmistakeable handwriting of those involved with the bigger GT, originally presented at Paris, last year – a concept with it’s own unique story.
Piero Carcerano, architect, worked at Fiat design when he started his own Torino-based, consulting company in 1996. Big in virtual design and 3D modelling, with many big-name customers (not all are automotive even if Audi, BMW, Fiat, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Opel, Saab and Suzuki are named - and not all are Italian) to keep his nearly 100 employees occupied.
He debuted on the show circuit a year ago in Milano, at the Design in Motion exhibition. He was also the only Italian designer who came in person to last autumn’s Italian Car Exhibition in New York, where he also presented his New York limousine concept. But in the meantime he went big-time at the Paris Show last September where he showed 1:5 models of some ideas, and a beautiful 1:1 concept.
Strangely enough, the Granturismo, as it was called, was designed at Lancia’s Style department, engineered (in virtual reality, but not translated into 'real reality') by Carcerano and built by Maggiora. But even with the obvious parenthood, Lancia refused to have anything to do with it . It was hardly even mentioned in Lancia's press material.
But by Geneve, this March, the Granturismo had advanced, and could be studied on the Lancia stand. And a group photo told us that from Lancia: Massimo Zappino, Marco Tencone (head of exterior design), Adriano Piovano (who also was part of the Lancia team that gave us the Maserati 3200 GT interior), Alberto Dillillo, Giancarlo Concillio (Nea, interior), Andrea Bassi (who should be remembered as one of the very first Istituto Europeo di Design students with a minimalistic city car in 1995), and Massimo Gay (Fiat Stilo) had participated, led by an enthusiastic Flavio Manzoni, Lancia Stile Manager. There cannot be many of those who did not also work on the GT Novastile.
The rest of the project has a parallel history too, the design sent to Carcerano who developed it and sent it to Bruno Maggiora for building.
Bruno Maggiora heads the company founded by his father, Arturo, in 1925. They built bodyshells then, and they build bodyshells today – complete cars as well. The Fiat Barchetta comes from Maggiora, they have built bodyshells for cars like de Tomaso Pantera and Mangusta, Lancia B 20, Alfa Romeo 2000 Touring and Lancia Delta Integrale. They make electric cars and Panda-based vans in big numbers. And they build prototypes as a sideline.
The Paris car came from them, as did the new Stilnovo. But design is pure Lancia, in a fairly new ”Less is more” vein. Very pure forms, but at the same time, surface treatment busy enough to be able to satisfy a Japanese customer, if that is a target. Some good architectural details too, like the flying bridge-like transverse treatment of the rear roof. Pure Pier Luigi Nervi. And much better handled than some of the more unhappy 30-40 year old Lancia sportwagon-type designs.
Local press reports suggest that Barcelona consultant company, Mazel has been involved in this project too, even if neither where nor why is immediately obvious. But we can reveal that Mazel representatives were very busy at the Maserati/Ferrari stand during the Geneve show, 50 days ago - which must be completely unconnected with this Lancia.
 |
Page 3 of 4
|
 |
|
