62nd Turin International Motor Show

Bertone, Ital and Ghia show 'one-box' concept vehicles that will replace everything from the standard limousine to the 12-cylinder supercar
By Jeffrey Dworin
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central theme of thi sary, showed its Asgard, another anear's Twin Motor Shov box. This. however, is intended as a was the "OM-box" or mini replacement for the conventional limvan configuration, a shap ousine. It's based on Audi mechaniwhich Italy's leading desip Giugiaro, a smng poponent of cal~. I 1 I suggested as a replacement fo 1~i~inivans as uoscale vehicles. has t+sir~oing-fromthe seven passenger \ h o w similar d&ns in the past.. limousine to the 12sylinder supercar. Ford-owned Ghia again showed the Bertone. Ghia and ltaldesign all Saguaro, a clever package study that showed one-box concept cars. might see pmluction. It was the most 'Ihe Turin show is referred to by feasible of the one-box packages and many as the "designers's show"-it's &sled still further Ford's soaring t e p where Italy's ledmg houses show their utation for design. Bpll stuff. This year's edition wasn't a ql,,,, T%e Turin show is held in Lingotto. ol Flrt standout. but neither did it disappoint. a giant Fiat factory that was once the Of the one-box designs, h e B m m Genesis was the most excilpulsing heart of the northern Italian cily. Until 1982 Lingono was a ing. It's based on Lmborghini Counlach-that's right. Countach busy factory turning out cars l i e the Fi XI19 and Lancia Della. --mshanicals including a 500 hp V12 engine and massive tires Now t m f d into an exhibition center, the show cars of Linand wheels at all comers. Think of this not as a minivan, said gotto bear little resemblance to the swarms of tiny Fiars and Inno. Benone. Turin's oldest conchbuilder, but as a logical evolution of centis that buzz through Turin's narrow, busy streets. today's Countachs and Ferrari F40s. But if reaction from showgcers was an indication. the TurinGiorgeno Giugiaro's Italdesign, celebrating its 20th anniverese are eager to meet ihe future the design hwses have in store.

Th. pnunt rullty aa examplined by tho p m u k and humbb vehicbs on the h e r of Turln m n l M I s sharply with tho dreams lor tho Mum dl8pIay.d I n the sxhlbn m t w
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lbis *infPiar vcrsion of a 1980s lightweight sports coupe is so w ~ c ~ a t i v estyled l y you might ovalwk it. No spoilcn, wings or scoops clutra i*l d h k . even familiar, wbik M l r f ~ c c s . Thc &on d'etre for HIT (High Italian Tcdmology) is to show PininFarina's interrst in mmufaclurin~ as well as mhbuildiog. Hence, &ugh Fininfarim is bencr known f o r lush Pcmris,much of Ibe styling debrates indusuial chic and msss prcductiw technology. Body and integral bunprs are molded of a production-feasible Eomposite material bonded t o an inner h r t l l r r f o r ~ h n g t h Theacantsbipaloagthclower~onofIbebody . isbuccplbon fiber. The C-pillar goes up and o v a the d i n e for a mll bar effect. The HIT is bad@ as a L.ncia t o emphasize feasibility and has Delta Inkgrale drivcfrain, including 4wd.

Evdring memories of thc Laus Supw U Seven w i t h its race u~r/sports CBI design. thcPurahasanaluminumdenrboDfibu Frame w i t b a central fuel fell. Race car theme is carried into a spartan interior of buccplbonfibcrdexdaluminum. w i t h scats c o v d i n kh. Bodywork is minimal but nicely executed in fiberglass and plastic; mini Tesmcssa-like vents F u n c t i w as c w l i n ~ ducts. The ALfa I .&liter intmooled & podurn 155 hp. which could m u a l the 1 4 0 0 - d Rva vuy nicely, t i & you. A b u h k c ~ o p y makes foul weatha driviog possibk.

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Think of it as tbc Larnborghi fhmrafh o f &e fuhue. All right b , don't, BUI that's how b c i o BE^ sees it. Thc famed Itnlian dssigner, known fw &e Countaeh. Lanein Straios and Mhcr twchstwe &signs, is atnong th many who question wh&m thc tnd&ional GT s u p w kas d i v e d it6 u f c f h . E m Butow. its enotor, eonsides the "70s-aa Countaeh, for crampb, a stunning b u ~ b f f ~ b n packago; t it's drffieult t o fGt in and out of, d'i~cult to w c c w t of. unc'3mfcmblc in p l w 3 . l .Ahb. said &none. but what ify w 100k t h amibufe6 of a supmar--high honepower, low wci@t. suprim handling and h a k i n g 4 ptt them in a pack.%@ lhat docln't hnvc these drawbacks? Haw about awe.box. dimensions, with the ~xseption of are eirnilar to a eountach. Visibility is e w l h Tbe iDtdriDlis m ~ aod ~ ~p~eIws. Styling? You bc the judge.We thinL it wmks-lk whicle lmks muFculu. p~qmwful. Thc en& is a CMurtscb Y I2 mount& midship nnd dFiver ihe nar w b l r

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arc masrive, 225145x16 in front, 28W40x17 at the mar. Thc Genesis is flawed in raoe respects. The e l m h e l l do016 make son~e rmlyonashowcor--cntryaoduitvo~ much swim lhnn in a Counlach. Aim, the driving position puts the f m t Mat o~cupanrr'fcer lbePd o f h e fnmt ark. raising qwtions of afcty. Finally. d a s the drivw of a supacac want to sit so far fonvnrd, viRually m p LhC front &? lhesc

solvable. Inssummary:We want one. 8

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GHlA SAGUARO
Itit\ l ~ h <,nr i irl\ u ~ l l l ilr ulmpplng 19.3.1ch diameter wheels debuted qu~etly at Geneva as a scvmn-passenger off-mpder Ford, which has s conwlllng intcrest in Ghia, was more fonheoming at Turin and rrvealed lhat the o f f - d i g concept was a bit of a disguise; fining 4wd hardware woqldn't permit desired 2 t 3 + 2 Pcaaing The Saguam is said to be based on the next-generation Escm platform, wd t h a t car's transverse, fwd layout wwM permit 2 t 3 + 2 noling Roducuon is a possibility, just 8s Ohio's Barcheua spans esr pmcotyp has led to next year's Memury Capri madaer. I h e Nissan lure ow-box show car, wluch debuted at Tokyo. is the ocher manifestation of a pending Ford-Nissan wnivan pmjat.

AUMWEEK MAY 9.1988

Iuldesign's me-box Aagrrd ( h v e md right) diffcn from & n o a ' s Omesis,the fivednorOiagaoGiugiuonutionic i n ~ r s a ~ t m t ~

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thc one-box.

l his fmoua 1976 "New Y a k Tui" cmccp minivan, bul hia 1968 Mmta Bimmhi show car hc

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cdrpc.~ho~~.w.son display in Turin in

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4ad m u J (ribcockptt con@mdon.B i d c a l service paeels on nar quuter contain hydrrulic jsck, tool kit, pomMe light and a sp@n fa oil cb.ngea. hivanin was cbosm for convcniarce,power is pwidcdbj Audi 5000 Turbo fivc-cybdrz mamted midrhip.
AUNlWXBK MAY 9 . 1988

A Z m W D U P I D Aztec and

Aspid are hvh, ideatical from beltline down. They shm

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I A D . ROYAU
Billed as an executive luxury sedan, this Jaguar-like dreadnought was produced in Britain by I.A.D., one of Europe's largest engineering and design c m u l m c i e s and he fum that took Turin by surprise two years ago with its Alien twc-seater. Given the Royale's impressive size, you might expect this monster to be a powerful European autobahn cruiser giving chase to Bimmers and Benzes alike. Yet under the Royale's skin hats the hem of a Subaru. That's right. a 2.7-liter flat six borrowed from h e Subaru XT6. as well as the rest of the Subaru's 4wd componentry. The Royale was built in conjunction with Philips B.V.. an electronics fm from Holland, and a look on the inside reveals some pretty trick elecvonic gadgetry: laptop computer. CD player, 13-speaker sound system and a fax machine. And, of course, the obligatory hands-free cellular phone. On the outside, th: taillight is mher novel: It is mounted high for visibility and to function as an integral spoiler, but it also functions as an LED message x n x n . Ostensibly it is meant to show the registration number and other messages "relevant to road safety behavior.'' but we vote for total programming heedom to send wacky messages to fellow drivers. Who needs bumper stickers? How about "Aye. cap'n, but I need more power."

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tha Subaru-bawd

Roy.kolhnoM IInpm.lW poulbllhy. High tlrtllght (rlght) act# .Ia.p01brmd.. an LED meamp.
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I.A.D. H U The second showing from I.A.D. this year at Turin is a sponlutility vehicle using Ford Sierra XR 4x4 mcchanicals and is based heavily on the I.A.D. Impact, which debuted at the Frankfurt show in 1987. Hunter is designed for primarily topdown use and therefore has a weather-resistant interior. Swnds like he perfect car for Southern California. Especially when you consider it has six speaken and a D.A.T./radio/aswne system. which can be detached (along with two of the spcakm) for playing Nms while you picnic. A 20-cubic-foot load capacity is supplemented with a 5-cubic-foot underfioor compartment suitable for skis, xuba gear and the like. I.A.D. envisions the Hunter as a rally car. so has included an on-board navigation system, although il is only at the mock-up stage so far. Lost on a rally? Another accessory is a rechargeable halogen flashlight that can signal Morse code.
AUTOWEEK MAY 9. 1988

"ECV'' s d a for Expaimcotnl Composite Vehick, md thc EV2. from rrigning World Rally ming power Lancie, is that frrm's ronccpt of thc d r i m e t c rally racer. Thc ECVZ is exh.noely s h t - 4 145.6 inehcs, it8 overall h g t h is aboutthatof aHondaCRX. ~ a 4 w d C R X , t h e n , . t Z O O O @ d p o w e s e d b y 1 . midshipmwotcd, longitudinel WO hp twb~mim dolr four. C o l a it bot. Color it fgt. Color it gone. AU that's needed now is for FISA to c ~ t a ecategory for it.

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No,m're mt going to tell you that Hycmdai, thc low-price Koltall tddcr, stole the show with the styling of it8
~*).'Iluywercamwgthemost boring-looking cam m thc exhibitim ctnm.

wall messsd to &Ie a stadium, ineluding thousends of baadpointed "spccwas" d smdium-styk lighting. Adjacent to it w a s a flat. minmd
M p r s e cmvul

AUTOWEEK M A Y 9. 1988