Author Topic: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"  (Read 2806 times)

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Offline Iluvatar

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Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« on: March 07, 2013, 09:13:31 AM »
Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 Rassegna dello Stile

At the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1993 Fiat presented the Punto, which would soon prove a worthy successor to the Uno, remaining at the top of its category of cars and winning the Car of the Year in 1995. The car also starred at the Turin Show in 1994, where in a dedicated area the organisers, in collaboration with Fiat, arranged for all the major Italian coachbuilders to show their interpretation of the new model. This was the second edition of the Rassegna dello Stile (style review), which two years earlier had done the same with the new Cinquecento. In fact, none of the proposals would appear as a standard model, not even on a small scale, excluding the Scia, the model developed within Centro Stile Fiat in collaboration with Carrozzeria Maggiora, which would evolve into the Fiat Barchetta with a Punto-derived chassis.



Other coachbuilders’ proposals, ideally born to widen the range of the Punto (comprising by the saloon and the Bertone cabriolet) were quite sophisticated. All the interpretations were designed mainly for leisure use and aimed at a young audience, featuring sporty cars, off-roads, cabriolets and even pick-ups.

The Giannini proposal, the Punto 4x4 TL (TL standing for Tempo Libero, the italian for spare time) was a 5-door Punto fitted with protective panels on all sides, roof rails and a pair of auxiliary lights.  Under the bodywork was a transmission designed in collaboration with Steyr Puch, and the raised ride-height was evident.  It was a car designed for off-road use, not particularly refined in style but focused on functionality and practicality.



The Pininfarina proposal, the Spunto, was also in part inspired by off-roaders, but in addition to the bodywork protection and raised suspension it also featured sporty bodywork.  It was a perfect mix, and the Spunto was perhaps the most modern of all the prototypes.  The body was completely redesigned and in contrast with other proposals didn't use any Punto parts, only the rear lights recalling the originals.



The Punto of Carrozzeria Bertone was perhaps the closest to production reality. It was a coupé developed from their Punto Cabriolet (using the Punto GT Turbo engine), with only the addition of a rigid roof and a prominent rear spoiler. In addition the wheel-arches have been enlarged, which was a simple but effective modification. The name Racer, which has been given to this car, recall Bertone’s earlier coupé derived from the Fiat 850 Spider. Unlike the Cabriolet, however, the Racer would not enter production, probably so as not to clash with the recently-introduced Fiat Coupé.



The pick-up for leisure use was very popular at this time, and there were several proposals for them.  The Surf by Coggiola had a completely redesigned body, although it didn’t have particularly modern lines. The front of the Surf had all the characteristics of a small sports car, but the tail, instead of sloping as might be expected, was cut to form an open platform, designed for carrying sports equipment.



Much more singular was the pick-up developed by historic Carrozzeria Boneschi, which even had an extra pair of rear wheels, achieved by adding another Punto axle behind the existing one.  Inevitably this increased the length significantly, and thus the load capacity, but it even incorporated two rear seats. In this case, however, the nose was as per the original, and the particular appearance of this Punto was only from the doors rearwards.



The coupé presented by I.De.A. (Institute of Development in Automotive Engineering of Turin) had sporty lines vaguely similar to the contemporary Fiat Coupé. The cabin is very sleek and aerodynamic, and overall the design is very modern and sporty, due to rounded wings, curved lines and minor details such as the rear spoiler or small side windows reminiscent of racing cars.



Zagato’s strong tradition in building sports cars also showed in their Punto, a coupe with a fastback rear roof, an eye-catching rear wing and a large rear window that merges round into the side windows.  The front, despite the treatment of the rear, remained quite similar to the Punto, perhaps to maintain some sort of family feeling with the saloon.



Giugiaro’s ItalDesign developed on the Punto perhaps the most futuristic of those prototypes. Nothing recalled the humble origins of the car, which used curves and a very rounded shape.  The cabin was a kind of bubble that seem to rest on top of the body and the car looked like some kind of space-ship.  The design is, however, a bit too exaggerated, and this prototype appeared less elegant and successful than the others.



During following years interest in the Punto declined, and with the debut of the Bravo/Brava comes a new Rassegna dello Stile in 1996, using the new model as the basis.  Very few coachbuilt Puntos appeared after 1994, and they were mainly convertible proposals which never reached production.

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Thanks to Carnut for the translation!! (I've edit a few parts... I hope not to have destroied your work...  ;) ) -  edit: Thanks again for the help to correct my mistakes!!
And also thanks to als15 for the informations provided!
You can find the original italian text here: http://www.icbdb.altervista.org/art.php?art=130201
Hope you would enjoy it... :)
_________________________________________________________________

...and a picture of the "real" Punto...   ;)

« Last Edit: April 10, 2013, 09:46:53 AM by Iluvatar »
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Offline Iluvatar

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2013, 09:48:46 AM »
I have added a link to this page from the original article (here: http://www.icbdb.altervista.org/art.php?art=130201 )... I hope this not a problem... otherwise I can remove it...
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Offline als15

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2013, 07:12:44 AM »
Well done!  :applause: :applause: :applause:

Offline 75america

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2013, 08:16:50 AM »
Besides the 9 cars (Bertone Racer, Boneschi Doblone, Coggiola Surf, Fiat-Maggiora Scia, I.DE.A. Lampo, Italdesign ID94 Punto, Giannini Punto 4x4 T.L., Zagato Monomille, Pininfarina Spunto) that were displayed on a special stand at the '94 Turin Motor show, also Maggiora and Marazzi presented a 'coachbuild' car on their own booth, respectively the Grama 2 and Cabrio Wagon.

Besides with the Cinquecento in 1992, a similar exercise was also done with the Bravo/a in 1996.

Offline Iluvatar

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2013, 12:26:10 PM »
 :thumbsup:
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Offline als15

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2013, 10:34:03 AM »
...also Maggiora and Marazzi presented a 'coachbuild' car on their own booth, respectively the Grama 2 and Cabrio Wagon.

And there should also be the Punto Beach by Scioneri. Does anybody perhaps have a picture of this car? I only have some drawings...

Offline 75america

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2013, 12:09:32 PM »
And there should also be the Punto Beach by Scioneri. Does anybody perhaps have a picture of this car? I only have some drawings...

Are you sure that this car was actually built and that the project didn't just die on the drawing board?

Offline sixtee5cuda

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2013, 12:50:35 PM »
Might as well include a Punto Beach sketch:

Offline als15

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2013, 04:12:03 AM »
And there should also be the Punto Beach by Scioneri. Does anybody perhaps have a picture of this car? I only have some drawings...

Are you sure that this car was actually built and that the project didn't just die on the drawing board?

I saw it with my eyes at the Show. Ok, it was 20 years ago and I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I remember that the car was definetley less attractive than the sketches, without the plexiglass closures and with just some (raw) side bars. It provided a really cheap feeling. And I'm sure it was a one-off (and - but it's only my guess - I'd not be surprised if after the show they had just put back on the doors and sold it as a regular car).

« Last Edit: April 20, 2013, 04:32:08 PM by als15 »

Offline 75america

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #9 on: April 13, 2013, 05:27:35 AM »
I saw it with my eyes at the Show.

Was that also the '94 Turin Motor Show?

Offline als15

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Re: Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 "Rassegna dello Stile"
« Reply #10 on: April 20, 2013, 04:32:43 PM »
Yes, 1994, but not the in the Fiat "Rassegna dello Stile" while in Scioneri his own stand.