17.03.2004 FERRARI ARE TRIALLING THE INNOVATIVE RIGID ROOF SYSTEM FIRST SEEN ON THE FIORAVANTI VOLA CONCEPT

Ferrari are currently trialling an innovative rigid roof system designed by Fioravanti and introduced on their Alfa Romeo Vola concept car at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show.

The Vola, created by Italian design house Fioravanti, was an Alfa Romeo-badged two seat concept which incorporated two and four wheel drive.

The most interesting of a series of innovative features however was the rigid roof system which, instantly and simply, transformed the coupe into a convertible without the associated loss of cargo capacity normally associated with this operation.

“So far the option of conveniently removing along with storing the hard top has seen very interesting but also complex solutions” said Fioravanti at the time.

However, Fioravanti's simple solution was to rotate the roof backwards and store it over the luggage compartment. The system worked through a rotating device with two large round hinges on either side clearly visible.

If trials are successful, Ferrari may use Fioravanti's patents on future high performance sportscars, including the Spider version of the 360 Modena replacement.