After the axing of the Fiat Coupe in 2000, the Italian brand's range was left without a coupe. And that's where British designer Peter Norris steps in with a new study that envisions a future sports car model for Fiat. However, this concept would not necessarily make a successor to the affordable Fiat Coupe, as the car carries a Pininfarina badge, thus hinting to a more luxurious model.
The study is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive luxury sports car that aims to embody the essence of the Italian thoroughbred. Judging from the drivetrain layout, this concept would be more of a successor to the 1960's RWD Fiat Dino rather than to the late 1990s FWD Fiat Coupe designed by Chris Bangle.
The coupe sports a sleek profile and a very low roofline, which make the wheels seem colossal. It also has an aggressive stance thanks to the massive wheelarches, while the front end brings to mind modern-day Aston Martins, especially the shape of the headlights and the upright bumper. The rear features C-shaped LED light units and central exhaust pipes that give the coupe an elegant look.
The designer explained that the project started as “a reboot of the Fiat Coupe”, representing a vision of a present day model. An ex-Fiat Coupe owner, Peter Norris changed his mind halfway through the project and switched to a luxury coupe, hence the Pininfarina badges on the car.
“I used to own a Fiat Coupe 16v Turbo, and whilst it frequently broke down and cost me a fortune in repair bills, I just didn’t have the heart to get rid of it. I still turn my head every time one drives past me,” Norris told Carbodydesign.
“The Pininfarina styling inside as much as outside just oozes with Italian flair and really was, and still is different to anything else on the road. Some people have referred to it as a 'baby Ferrari'. So I began sketching out ideas for a Fiat Coupe for 2012. After roughing out the body in 3d I changed my mind and decided that I wanted to build something that was more of a luxury rather than a budget sports car and wondered what a car designed by Pininfarina under its own badge might look like, and so it evolved from there,” Norris concluded.
By Dan Mihalascu
Source: CBD
17 Comments:
Not that you can actually view out of the front windshield and across that great expanse of a hood to drive it properly, but it sure "looks" good. And women love uber-low head-knocking door openings and seat heights where they have to splay their legs to get in. Ding, ding, ding we have a winner here. Uh, no.
^It's not about seeing out, rather about being seen.
i see Aston martin in this concept.....
Do you drive leaning sideways?
The low roofline just looks stupid, but I like the rest
looks very aston martinish.
british designer? really? i dont think so...
looks like some village idiot from the eastern bloc is the designer!
no thanks.. I'll pass
It has a very British twang to it.
Fiat couper front?
Not sure why these pictures are taken in the dark...
I look better in the dark! So does Quasi-modo!
IMO not as good as the original Dino Fiat
Daddy like!
Not really innovative. Looks like a late 80's sportscar with fancy LED-front and back. Roof makes it impossible to take a seat. Or maybe we're seeing it at the wrong scale and the car's got about 50'-rims. But then it wouldn't be any sporty anymore. At least not _on_ the road.
And for the wiper on the back: What the heck does it do right there? It's definitely not put there for wiping anything...
Let's say it's not bad at all - just outdated by 20+ years...
Could this be a preview of some of the styling cues for the next Viper? Something that Fiat threw out there to get the public's reaction to the styling?
Clean, but dated, and impractical(most designer concepts are).
Cues of 'sixties' GT Ford(development/front), Ferrari(Grille), 'nineties' Buick Rivera(development/Rear).
Lets see somebody else's take on the idea/concept.
Would it be weird for me to want this with a turbo charged straight 5?
Google "China Syndrome Aftermath" ... http://www.anonymousphysicist.com/
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