Italdesign-Giugiaro celebrates 40th anniversary, 70th birthday

Founded in 1968 by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani, the Italian design firm Italdesign has been involved with some of the most iconic designs of the past four decades, including the Audi 80, Lancia Delta, Saab 9000 Turbo and the Fiat Panda. The Quaranta concept shown at this year's Geneva show illustrates the forward-looking design capabilities of the firm. This August also marks the 70th birthday of founder Giugiaro, so this year's anniversary celebrations also honor the works that made the brand famous.

Giugiaro himself has an even longer history in the industry than his firm, having worked for Fiat, Bertone and Ghia between 1955 and Italdesign's startup in 1968. His designs have found their way onto the platforms of Alfa Romeos, BMWs, Maseratis, De Tomasos and even the Bizzarini GT Strada, among many others.

Building on the rich history of the company and its founders while taking the design and mechanical platform into the future, the Quaranta - Italian for 'forty' - is an environment-friendly 4WD sports car, which incorporates a series of innovative technologies including a hybrid engine with solar energy. The concept also features a mid-mounted engine and can accommodate three adults and one small child plus all their gear.

Access to the cabin is via an upper door that incorporates a pair of smaller side ones. At the touch of an electric on/off button, the door opens upwards but in a downwind direction, regulated by proximity sensors. The door is hinged to the hood pillar and is aligned with a second upper rear door, for access to the engine compartment and boot.

Roof-mounted solar panels can generate a power of up to 250W, sufficient for the functioning of the cockpit conditioning system and for recharging the electric battery. The hybrid powertrain is a Toyota development, consisting of a 3.3L V6 petrol engine and two electric motors, which provide a maximum output of 200kW and 288Nm of torque. This is enough to propel the car from 0-100km/h in 4.05 seconds and a limited top speed of 250km/h. .

Italdesign-Giugiaro Quaranta Concept