Giugiaro Topic Hub

2018 Nissan GTR50 Concept By ItalDesign – Goodwood FoS 2018 Debut

Very interesting collaboration here where ItalDesign was tasked with a re-skin a Nissan GT-R fully, inside and out, as a celebration of the car’s 50-year legacy. More than a reskin, even. Re-imagining? Reboot? Yes. Possible hints at next-gen model expected for the 2020 model year? Yes of course. But mostly this exercise just celebrates the GT-R’s essence and moves the vehicle noticeably upmarket. Even as a $100k car the GT-R does lack the class and panache of true supercars, in some respects, with the current model’s workmanlike exterior and interior. How to go high-fashion without dulling the GT-R’s ace in …

Jul 27, 2018 Read more

2017 ItalDesign x Airbus Pop.Up – Concept Debrief

Maybe all those ‘flying car’ dreamers and visionaries were just too smart – by half. What if a self-piloted EV road module was left behind when your drone-copter arrives? That self-driving EV skateboard could drive itself home or to meet you later at the office. Meanwhile, your transport pod will be under the eight counter-rotating blades of the quad-copter above you? Pretty intense in how real this fantasy traffic-avoider feels. Thrilled to have the big brains of Giugiaro and Airbus working together to flesh out the idea. Here is a crude animation of how this will work. The insight is rock solid: …

Aug 04, 2017 Read more

ItalDesign GIUGIARO Parcour – DIY Design Contest Entry Materials + 100 Renderings

ItalDesign is taking new looks for its Parcour super-truck this month — with the winner scoring VIP passes to a giant gala in Valentino Park. The examples they’ve provided are pretty cool, but will take work to revamp stylishly. A plan view from all sides, plus six PDFs of letters. These outline what GIUGIARO does best. The DIY Design Contest goal is a new Livery, not just color and look. So that likely includes some kind of wrap or graphics. But we’ve stuck to more of a colorblock type of fashion for most of the 110 renderings below. Custom wheel …

May 02, 2016 Read more

2016 ItalDesign Giugiaro GTZero

Official debut details below on a very intriguing prototype from ItalDesign. Now that Giugiaro’s design boutique is integrated in the VW Group, and Audi in particular, their projects have taken on extra relevance. Perhaps predicting the future of some kind of Audi or Lambo? Or perhaps just reflecting the new mood toward shooting brake supercars…? Our theory is that the GTZero may have been a Lambo proposal that didn’t get the green light for production. But got the go-ahead for a redesign to showcase ItalDesign’s skills. Either way, the three-door model is a 2+2 with a finished cabin and …

Mar 01, 2016 Read more

Concept Flashback – 1988 ITALDESIGN Aspid – Tinted Bubble Canopy

PART TWO: The Aspid bubble hardtop. This Aztec is the first of two from the design studio’s 1988 releases — and is a huge piece of automotive coolness that might otherwise be lost to the ages. It is hard to get psyched about 80s concepts sometimes, but this Aztec’s influence on SO MANY CARS of the 1990s is clear as day. Camaro, Corvette, Probe, RX-7, MX-5, 300ZX… the list goes on and on. The mid-engine concept car runs a 250-horsepower Audi-sourced engine, but its most memorable part is the glasshouse. Twin mini windshields wrap around both passenger compartments, and open …

Dec 04, 2015 Read more

Concept Debrief – 1972 Maserati Boomerang by GIUGIARO – Leading Wedge Hypercar

The wedge. This design mantra took over the minds of the world’s top stylists collectively around 1970 – as the Ferrari 512 S Module and the Lancia Stratos HF Zero concepts swept everyone to accept the shape. The design was the ultimate expression of mid-engine hypercar engineering of the time. In wind tunnels of the day, the goal was to have as little front surface area as possible. Something like a rocket for the road. Ferrari 512 S Modulo at Atlanta Dream Cars exhibit http://www.car-revs-daily.com/2014/06/10/dream-cars-1970-ferrari-512s-modulo-pininfarina/ Lancia Stratos HF Zero at Atlanta Dream Cars exhibit http://www.car-revs-daily.com/2014/06/10/dream-cars-1970-lancia-stratos-hf-zero-by-bertone/ Wind …

Dec 04, 2015 Read more

2015 ItalDesign Giugiaro GEA Concept Shows Automated-Driving Limo Ideas

When considering Italian design boutique concepts, you have to suspend your disbelief and any reality-based concerns in order to see the true purpose of the designs. In many ways, ItalDesign concepts are like the ‘haute couture’ of the car world, versus the ready-to-wear from mainstream manufacturer concepts. This GEA concept is an interesting look to the future of automated limousines tech, design and user experience. Sharing some of the insights launched on the Mercedes-Benz F015 concept, the GEA also has exterior lamps that shift to blue front and rear when the vehicle is being driven by computer. Sidebar: This …

Mar 05, 2015 Read more

Concept Flashback – 2003 ItalDesign Moray Corvette By Giugiaro

The Corvette Moray is a slippery one — in many senses of the word! Named after the shimmery Moray eel and styled to glide through this world without disturbing the air, the Moray Corvette from ItalDesign in 2003 is interesting for a few reasons. First off, though, let’s discuss what it is under these sleek new panels and triple glass bubble canopy. It is a C5 underneath — so the guys had their work cut out for them in making it special and respected at Pebble Beach and in Geneva. It is a full reskin from tip to tail, …

Dec 29, 2014 Read more

Design Analysis – 2012 Pininfarina Cambiano – Why So Lifeless, Bland and Generic?

We feel a bit guilty for absolutely skewering the Pininfarina/Ferrari Sergio the other day. After all, they may have had no control over the lame production-friendly changes done by Ferrari. Let’s take another look at some of Pininfarina’s other recent work to balance things out, shall we? The 2012 Pininfarina Cambiano concept was an expression of a clean, EV sedan in the mold of the Tesla Model S, Fisker Karma or the Quant e-Sport Limousine. The vehicle has two doors on the passenger side, and one longer coupe door on the driver side. The trouble is: it is super boring …

Dec 07, 2014 Read more

Concept Flashback – 1972 Maserati Boomerang Was Production-Ready Wedge Hypercar

The wedge. This design mantra took over the minds of the world’s top stylists collectively around 1970 – as the Ferrari 512 S Module and the Lancia Stratos HF Zero concepts swept everyone to accept the shape. The design was the ultimate expression of mid-engine hypercar engineering of the time. In wind tunnels of the day, the goal was to have as little front surface area as possible. Something like a rocket for the road. Ferrari 512 S Modulo at Atlanta Dream Cars exhibit http://www.car-revs-daily.com/2014/06/10/dream-cars-1970-ferrari-512s-modulo-pininfarina/ Lancia Stratos HF Zero at Atlanta Dream Cars exhibit http://www.car-revs-daily.com/2014/06/10/dream-cars-1970-lancia-stratos-hf-zero-by-bertone/ Wind tunnels …

Sep 30, 2014 Read more

Part Two: 2013 Giugiaro PARCOUR ROADSTER in 50 High-Res Photos

PART TWO: The Roadster When off-roading, why not have the wind in your hair and a bit of breeze above your head? All the better to see the amazing terrain this XGT could sail through… This Roadster evolved from one of the best-received concepts of all time from ItalDesign Giugiaro: an off-road Gallardo called the Parcour. Very rarely is the crossover and SUV trend so elegantly bottled into a super-high-performance package like this. With a completely fresh design, the Parcour looks truly ready to bounce off rocks down any rally track tomorrow. In fact, the machine was so thoroughly …

Sep 26, 2014 Read more

2013 Giugiaro PARCOUR in 100 Photos: V10 SUV Set Tone For Upcoming Lambo 4×4 and Audi Nanuk

This beast was one of the best-received concepts of all time from ItalDesign Giugiaro: an off-road Gallardo called the Parcour. Very rarely is the crossover and SUV trend so elegantly bottled into a super-high-performance package like this. With a completely fresh design, the Parcour looks truly ready to bounce off rocks down any rally track tomorrow. In fact, the machine was so thoroughly engineered that the hardtop Parcour was sold at Pebble Beach last year by Giugiaro for about $600,000. Its mechanical package is rock-solid, primarily because it shares the mid-engine chassis, transmission and AWD system of the well-proven Gallardo …

Sep 26, 2014 Read more

2006 Giugiaro Ford Mustang Concept Was Ringer vs In-House Ford Designs

Surprisingly few new ideas in this Giugiaro Mustang concept, which brings scissor doors, a glass roof and hideous cabin to the style of the venerable pony-car legend. The tail is perhaps the most interesting element, with a unique flush-fit three-pack of brake lights in each corner. A sharp fender peak is one throwback styling element that has not yet been seen on a modern iteration of the car. By contracting the car with Giugiaro, Ford used a bit of failsafe strategic vision testing. Would the Giugiaro car be far better than anything Ford could do in-house? As this car shows, …

Sep 23, 2014 Read more

2012 ItalDesign Giugiaro BRIVIDO Concept is GT With Ultra-Modern Cabin and Apex Windows

No batter hits a home run on every swing, and the same is true for high-concept design houses. ItalDesign Giugiaro has been at the center of the advanced design universe for decades, and its greatest-hits list only contains the dozens of cars it can publicly take credit for. Many more of ItalDesign’s brilliant ideas are white-labelled and the manufacturer simply takes the credit. So the provenance from which the Brivido emerges is without question. Powered by a 360-horsepower turbo 3.0-liter V6, the Brivido’s most striking elements are its somewhat retro surfacing to the hood and bodysides, with a dark …

Sep 23, 2014 Read more

2012 Giugiaro BRIVIDO Martini Racing Honors Lancia Beta Montecarlo and 037

In the world of iconic racing liveries, Martini Racing is right up there with Golf Oil as the most-loved in history. What better way to salute the long collaborative partnership between ItalDesign Giugiaro than to dress their sexy Brivido GT concept in fast red and blue stripes on a white base. In the case of the Brivido Martini Racing, the homage is more than paint-deep. With a semi-exposed rear diffuser and and long, low nose splitter, the Brivido is close in spirit to the legendary 037 and Beta Montecarlo racecars. These wild turbo rally specials were so fast and wild …

Sep 23, 2014 Read more

Amazing 1971 Alfa-Romeo Caimano and 1976 Alfa-Romeo Navajo Concepts

So many supercar concepts, so little time! These two really cool ideas that did not get made into production models. The Caimano is based on the small, rear-drive Alfasud platform – but with one key difference: the windshield is part of a one-piece canopy door that hinges upward — just like the coolest concepts seen from Ferrari in the 512 series. The Navajo, on the other hand, is crisp to the extreme. With a huge wing in back that makes it look more like a stunt airplane than a sports car. 1971 Alfa-Romeo Caimano 1976 Alfa-Romeo Navajo …

Jul 12, 2014 Read more

2014 ItalDesign Clipper Crossover by Giugiaro – A Mad Six-Person Golf Variant?

ItalDesign’s Clipper Crossover by Giugiaro – A Mad Six-Person Golf Variant? The thing with VW owning Giugiaro these days is that many of the concepts have much more production-possibility than ever before. Take the Parcour SUV — many of its ideas are flowing directly into a future Lamborghini model. The style and themes shown on this Clipper van most directly relate to Volkswagen’s newly-clean aesthetic — but take the block forms and flat surfacing to a very interesting place. Is it beautiful? Oh no. But might it be after refinement into a production vision? Perhaps. Additions like a brand-specific element …

Mar 25, 2014 Read more