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NEWS
GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Alfa Romeo Gloria Concept
Young graduates conjure up a stunning interpretation of how a medium-large Alfa Romeo sedan should lookAlfa Romeo is now virtually at a make-or-break juncture, with an imminent return to the potentially lucrative North American and Asian markets crucial to its success.
The car with which it will relaunch in the US – the gorgeous 4C – is due to be revealed at next month’s Geneva motor show, and appearing alongside it will be the Gloria concept, designed by young graduates of the European Design Institute of Turin as part of its Master programme.
The brief given to the budding designers was to “conceive an Alfa Romeo sedan to communicate to the American and Asian markets”, particularly as large sedans symbolise status and prestige in these markets.
Penned in collaboration with Alfa Romeo’s in-house Style Centre, the Gloria is said to offer generous accommodation for both front- and rear-seat occupants, thanks to large-ish exterior dimensions.
It measures 4700mm from bumper to bumper, 1920mm across the bows and 1320mm tall, which means it’s about 180mm shorter than the latest Mercedes E-Class, but almost 65mm wider and 150mm lower, resulting in a sportscar-like profile.
Although radical in execution, it features familiar Alfa design elements such as a traditional shield grille and leather straps on the bonnet that hark back to the marque’s historic racers.
On the whole, the concept is more flight-of-fancy than real-world prototype, but it could at least provide a few clues to the brand’s future design direction with its highly contoured surface sculpting.
Although the 20 design graduates provided much of the inspiration for the project, the Alfa Romeo Style Centre played its part by making available the storied brand’s historic models, and carrying out the clay modelling and mathematical definitions for the full-scale model.
The process commenced with 20 design proposals being submitted, of which 10 were selected and created in clay in 1:4 scale.
Finally, the one which best met the initial brief provided by the company was chosen from these 10. The entire class was then divided into groups and pitched in on different areas of the project to complete the full-scale concept.
“What better brand than Alfa Romeo to teach to our students how shapes and volumes can convey strong emotions, nurturing the desire to design a car?” said César Mendoza, director of IED Turin.
“The passion evoked by the brand was strongly felt by the students and lecturers on the Master, allowing them to achieve tight deadlines until achieving the final output of a truly complex project.”
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Written byGautam Sharma
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