After a trial run two years ago which took the form of the Triagmos styling model, Carcerano is back on the front line with two new prototypes, each very different but both drawing on a specifically Italian design culture and both built by Maggiora. One is the New York range-topper saloon presented in that city, the other the Lancia Granturismo sports coupé which got its world preview on the Carcerano stand at the Paris Show.
The New York is a booted saloon over 5 metres long designed to house a V12 engine and front wheel drive that is decisively shaped with a high, slender waistline. Understated and essential inside and out, the New York is clearly presented with an eye on a future production line.
The Lancia Granturismo, on the other hand, takes the hatchback shooting brake concept back to the elegant purity and sculptural quality of the Lancia cars from the ’50s and ’60s. Even so, while the tail may evoke memories of the Aprilia and the Ardea, whereas the sides and front hint at variations on Dialogos and Thesis themes, seen as a whole, the Granturismo possesses a distinctive personality of its own.
The Granturismo is clear-cut only as regards its externals and there is no indication of whether it will ever go into production. It is possible that only some of its ideas will appear on future production models, but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t see the Granturismo on the road at some future date, since the entire development process has been tailored to industrial feasibility.
Carcerano has some very clear ideas about his company’s future. “We have to go for diversification. On the one hand, we need to go back to our roots and show the world that our DNA retains all its old vitality. At the same time, we have to broaden our sights and see how we match up to other situations”.
The article continues in Auto & Design no. 136
