Topic: ADG 68 - SOLVED - Alfa Romeo 2600 design proposal by Marco Zanuso (1963-65)

[Allemano]

I guess it's a scale model only... Any Alfasud connection?

[75america]

As far as I know, it never got beyond this scale model phase.
According to the info I found, there is no Alfasud connection.
It's older and for a bigger car.

[Allemano]

I think it's too fussy for a Manzu design and certainly 5-10 years older than his most famous works.
Is the name you're looking for mentioned here before on AP?

[Allemano]

BTW: is there a vague connection to Zagato's 'panoramico' designs? Or is it at least inspired by them?

[75america]

When taking the Fiat 127 as Manzu's most famous works, it is indeed older. 
But it is younger than his also well known Austin Healey and is from around the same time as the Autonova GT and Auto Fam.
The name hasn't appeared yet on Autopuzzles.  Car design was absolutely not the main activity.
As far as I know, there is no connection to Zagato, but perhaps the designer took indeed some inspiration from it.

[Allemano]

Is our 'designer' an architect actually?

[75america]

It's a designer/architect, but he is not known as a car-designer.

Some more views of the model which might help solving the puzzle:

[Allemano]

It's very nice isn't it?

Is that architect famous for contemporary buildings?

[75america]

I believe the man is better known for his industrial designs, than for his buildings.
He designed dozens of them, but I can't find a lot of pictures of these buildings through a quick Google search, so I can't really answer your question.

[Allemano]

Is there a common (maybe iconic) product that he has designed?

[75america]

Is there a common (maybe iconic) product that he has designed?

To be honest, I never heard of the guy before, but someone who is more familiar with the business like, let's say, an Industrial Designer will most probably know him.
One of his best known works:

[Wendax]

Must be by Marco Zanuso then, Alfa Romeo 2600, designed 1963-65

[Allemano]

Not currently, but actually I AM an industrial designer.
Alas this armchair slipped through I'm afraid...

[Allemano]

Zanuso is very famous in the ID scene.


Ahh the canibal was here again.

[Wendax]

I must confess his work for Brionvega (together with Richard Sapper) was better known to me than this armchair.

[75america]

Indeed Alfa Romeo 2600 by Marco Zanuso (designed 1963-65)

More information would be highly appreciated.

I bumped on this car when Googling after I found the following text in a magazine:
"...Next, (Paolo) Ségota worked with Richard Sapper in the studio of Marco Zanuso on a design commissioned for the new Alfa Romeo 1750 sedan, which was eventually designed by Bertone in 1968. ..."

Does anybody has information and pictures of this design proposal?

[Allemano]

A nice car without a distinctive Alfa Romeo face though. Guess
that's at least one reason for Bertone's preference.

[75america]

A nice car without a distinctive Alfa Romeo face though. Guess
that's at least one reason for Bertone's preference.

Question is if the 'Alfa Romeo 2600' and 'Alfa Romeo 1750 sedan' design proposals are one and the same car and that one of the sources provided the wrong information, or are we talking about 2 completely separate projects?  I think the latter because the scale model is clearly not a sedan.

[Allemano]

Are you sure it wasn't meant to be a sedan?
Considering the decade it was a quite innovative two-door hatchback sedan. Think about the Renault 16 and the PF BMC-1800. The high glasshouse and the large second window don't speak for a thoroughbred sports coupe.

[75america]

I have no idea but I hope a fellow Autopuzzler can throw some light (with proof) on the case.

[Allemano]

possibly a repost – could not find it!

• name of the car?
• manufacturer?
• designer?
• year?

[Alfa_Japan]

Alfa Giulia (series 105) based coupe proposal by Alfa's own Centro Stile (internal design). This design only resulted into a wooden scale model which can still be seen today in the Alfa museum in Arese. A few years ago an industrial design student wrote his thesis on this car and made a modern interpretation of it. Unfortunately I have lost that document. Just searched for an hour but either I didn't save it at that time or I accidentally removed it.

[Allemano]

Alfa Giulia (series 105) based coupe proposal by Alfa's own Centro Stile (internal design). This design only resulted into a wooden scale model which can still be seen today in the Alfa museum in Arese. A few years ago an industrial design student wrote his thesis on this car and made a modern interpretation of it. Unfortunately I have lost that document. Just searched for an hour but either I didn't save it at that time or I accidentally removed it.

I'm afraid this is wrong.
It was indeed designed for Alfa Romeo, but for a different model
and the designers weren't part of the in-house staff.


You're right that it never left the scale model stage.

[Alfa_Japan]

Marco Zanusso proposel for an Alfa Romeo 2600. This car was reinterpreted within the last decade by a design student in Italy. I indeed mixed up the Giulia and the 2600. The scale model of this original design proposal of the sixties can be seen in the Alfa museum for those who are interested. Lovely design!

[Alfa_Japan]

I am trying to locate the (relatively) recent thesis of the design student on this car. He explains his re-interpretation of the original design by firstly investigating the original design. Must be an interesting thesis to read, unfortunately I don't read Italian though.