Flavien Dachet
ArticleConcept Car of the Week: Autobianchi Runabout (1969)
The 850 was a very popular car for Fiat in the ‘60s, especially in its spider version with its cute design and compact proportions. When the time came to replace it, Fiat went back to Bertone, where chief designer Marcello Gandini was charged with designing its replacement.
ArticleConcept Car of the Week: Lamborghini Marzal (1967)
In 1967, Lamborghini’s lineup consisted of just two cars - the Miura and the 400 GT 2+2 - but this wasn’t enough for Ferrucio Lamborghini, who fancied a true four-seater GT to add to his stable. After the successful collaboration on the Miura, he naturally returned to carrozeria Bertone which was commissioned to design the car.
ArticleConcept Car of the Week: Bertone Alfa Romeo Carabo (1968)
Marcello Gandini’s Carabo for Alfa Romeo pioneered a distinct design language, influencing automotive icons such as the Lotus Esprit and Lamborghini Countach
ArticleConcept Car of the Week: Fiat Scia (1993)
Although based on the Punto, the Fiat Scia looked so much more with its boat-like body shape and enticing stature
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Concept Car of the Week: Suzuki GSX-R/4 (2001)
Christmas is over. You ate kilos of chocolate, you opened your socks and your fancy gadgets, but let's be honest, deep inside you miss the times toys waited for you under the tree. But who said toys were only for kids? Suzuki certainly didn't think so back in 2001.
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Concept Car of the Week: Chevrolet Express (1987)
A fantastic selection of concept cars from the ‘80s were featured in Back to the Future II such as the Pontiac Pursuit, the Ford Probe or the Saab EV-1, but my personal favorite was the Chevrolet Express that almost ran over Marty upon his arrival in the year 2015. Before ...
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Concept Car of the Week: Ford Forty-Nine (2001)
Over 1.3 million orders were placed for the 1949 Ford before it even went officially on sale. The revolutionary post-war design with slick slab sides and semi-covered wheels became a symbol of American optimism.
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Concept Car of the Week: Plymouth XNR (1960)
In the early ‘50s, both GM and Ford offered attractive and exciting sports cars, symbols of a proud post-war America. Ford had the Thunderbird and GM the Corvette, but Chrysler's approach was more pragmatic, producing cars that were practical and robust but also slow. After commissioning a long series of ...
ArticleConcept Car of the Week: Saab 9X (2001)
With a glorious heritage, a strong and understated design philosophy combined with a focus on technology and innovation, it is sad to have witnessed how GM’s questionable management led to Saab being completely wiped off the map in just a decade.
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Concept Car of the Week: Seat Tango (2001)
At the dawn of the millennium, there was no better ways for Seat to communicate its new philosophy "Auto Emocion" than in the shape of a pretty little spider. This new slogan, which suggests fun and excitement with a dash of explosive Latin character, would define the essence of what ...
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Concept Car of the Week: Porsche Tapiro (1970)
By the late 1960s it was time for Porsche to create a new car that would replace its ageing entry-level model, the 912. Its sister company Volkswagen also needed a sports coupe to replace the Karmann Ghia and so the two brands joined together to develop what would become the ...
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Concept Car of the Week: Citroën Zabrus (1986)
Designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone, the quirky BX proved to be a big success for Citroën. Eager to improve its brand image and to boost its already healthy sales figures, the brand put the popular BX on steroids and entered the World Rally Championship.
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Concept Car of the Week: AMC AMX/2 (1969)
Like Detroit's Big Three, AMC rapidly understood the importance of the youth market after the success of the Ford Mustang. In the late 60s, the design team produced a series of "Think Young" concept cars to reach the younger audience as well as exciting new showroom offerings like the Mustang-inspired ...
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Concept Car of the Week: BMW Spicup (1969)
The oddly named Spicup, standing for Spider and Coupé, was first presented at the 1969 Geneva Motor Show. Carozzeria Bertone had previous collaborations with BMW such as the 3200CS coupe by Giugiaro. The friendship between Nuccio Bertone and Willhelm Hoffmeister, head of bodywork construction at BMW, must have also contributed ...
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Concept Car of the Week: Mercedes-Benz VRC (1995)
The question of automobile versatility has been a real challenge for decades. Nowadays, car manufacturers keep coming up with hundreds of new segments, sub-segments, crossovers, and crossovers of crossovers... Most of them end up Jack-of-all-trades, master of none. On the other hand, people can't afford to own a fleet of ...
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Concept Car of the Week: Isuzu 4200R (1989)
In the eighties, General Motors-owned Isuzu was fairly successful, but it was suffering from a ‘plain' brand image. To gain recognition, it presented a series of concept cars such as the COA, COA III and Costa but the most effective was the stunning 4200R.
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Concept Car of the Week: Toyota EX-7 (1970)
Imagine the roads of today filled with colorful mid-engined two-seaters. That would make your daily commute a lot more exciting, wouldn't it?
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Concept Car of the Week: Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sport (1965)
Before Pininfarina design legend Aldo Brovarone created the Ferrari 246 Dino, he experimented with similar forms for the Alfa Romeo Giulia.
ArticleConcept Car of the Week: Italdesign Columbus (1992)
Italdesign’s interpretation of a deluxe MPV, the voluminous and implausible Columbus, debuted at the Turin Motor show in 1992. It was one of those concepts that remained just that but Car Design News is very much a fan
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Concept Car of the Week: Citroën C6 Lignage (1999)
By the late ‘90s, the bold but ageing Citroën XM was becoming irrelevant compared to the freshly updated German sedans. The press even started to suggest the XM would be the last high-end car to carry the double chevron. What they didn't know was that the designers were already working ...