Coachbuilt Fiat Punto: the 1994 Rassegna dello StileAt 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... 
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...and a picture of the "real" Punto...
