The ultimate outcome is known as Visconti, a name chosen in honour of a Milan family ancestry, the coat of arms of which represents the Alfa Romeo marque.

At a first glance, the Visconti appears almost a 4-door coupe, albeit the dimensions, which touch upon five meters in terms of length, are those typical of a flagship.

The front is extremely plastic and very balanced in its modelling. In the plan view the front-end, weaving from an important wheel-arch, rounds towards the Alfa Romeo grille thereby becoming a characterizing element embedded in a single curve. The front optic units are designed with flowing movement and elegance. The rear fenders are a key element, placing in evidence the modelled upper section which narrows significantly thereby highlighting these majestic fenders.

However, this architecture never before seen in the panorama of contemporary production is not entirely new to Giugiaro who, back in 1993 with the Bugatti EB 112, had theorized a great two-volume sports sedan.

"The proportions of the Visconti are indeed substantially diverse, as is the mechanical arrangement, a V6 rather than a V12 engine. Placed clearly in evidence is a more advanced interior compartment than on the Bugatti, with the windshield base becoming almost level with the centre of the wheel. The downward sloping tail-end becomes one to itself, all-embracing and underscored by the powerful strength of the mighty rear fenders".

The launching pad for the Visconti was the Premium Platform, developed by Alfa Romeo as the basis for the next-generation 156 Sedan, Sportwagon, Coupe and Spider, a quartet of cars all drawing life from the pencil of Giugiaro as evolution of the Brera concept car.

Given the flagship characteristics with which the Visconti takes the scene, Giugiaro lengthened the wheelbase of the Premium Platform by 20 millimetres, stretching it out to 2,825 mm, with two almost identical overhangs, 1,064 mm to the front and 1,066 mm to the rear, thereby attaining a total length of 4,955 mm.

The width has been harnessed to just under one meter and 90, whilst the height stretches to 1,474 mm, the right compromise between flowing line and flagship ease of accommodation.

As always, albeit waging a provocation from a styling point of view, Giugiaro has not wandered from his personal tradition underpinned by creating concept cars that can be also manufactured in series.

Also at the level of concept cars, research into proper functionality even imposed compromises which the Designer regrets.

The front of a modern Alfa cannot but commence from the ninth power evolution of the marque’s grille. In the Visconti, it grows bolder in size and dominates, even more than in the past, the front end, whether due to the size of the vehicle or its flagship role.

In this interpretation, the powerful outline of the Alfa brand identity is crossed, as on the more recent Alfa series, by small chromed strips, which here, however, are more thick and farther away from one to the other.

The circular brand logo is surmounted by a chromed eyelid that stretches across the engine bonnet pushing through a slender trimming – chromed as well – that runs up to the windshield base.

There are six air intakes on the front-end, two at the fender base, two in proximity to the lower part of the grille (which also house the fog lights), plus two on headlight inside rims.

However, more than just a question of aesthetics, these seemingly in excess air intakes are the result of the expertise gained during the industrial development of the Brera, which, in its preliminary definition, did not ensure enough airflow for a turbo-engine car.

Unlike the traditional 4-door three-volume sedans featuring a tapering engine bonnet, the Visconti has a short and compact front grille, which, rather than transuding grandeur, attempts to transmit a sense of power lying in wait to leap.

Also pushing through this front volume layout was compliance with pedestrian impact new standards, scheduled for enactment part way 2005, which call for more vertical fronts and more raised engine bonnets.

The roof seeks to maintain the most harmonious route possible, making almost imperceptible the "elbow" needed to allow the back window to be rolled down.

Without doubt, the low-lying and spinning tail-end is the more unusual aspect of the Visconti. Indeed, from a three-quarter front view, the car looks just like a two-volume.

Moving to view from the side, starting however to emerge – between the powerful relief of the high wide shoulder of the rear wheel-arches – is a real and proper boot, albeit presenting a downward curved line. Accordingly, it is from the rear three-quarter view that the boot shows itself not just to be a hint of shadow, but a generous volume of space, allowing 458 litres of carrying capacity.

From a historic matrix standpoint, the shaping of the low, muscular and cut-off tail-end reflecting a dash of the "Fifties" is not so much an absolute novelty as the recapture and modernization of the solutions that made certain Alfa models, like the Pescara 6C, so famous.

Dominating the full view from rear are the mighty all-embracing optic units, which, with a circular motive designed inside, weave their way from the body side.

From a mechanics stand point, the Visconti theorizes the use of a V6 3.2 litre JTS direct injection biturbo petrol engine, with 405 horsepower capability and 680 Nm pairing.

The 6-gear automatic gearbox provides for permanent all-wheel drive with rear wheel steering as well, whilst vehicle stability is ensured – other than by the VDC, an Alfa Romeo interpretation of the ESP – by use of stabilizer rod active control.

Comfort is assured by the suspension pneumatic springs, which also enable the electronic control of the height from the ground, whilst Brembo CCM ceramic composite plates pave the way towards exceptional braking performance.

For an upper lineage Alfa Romeo, Giugiaro wanted to reflect in the name a symbol of the Milan marque: the "biscione" that characterizes the marque.

In fact, the Visconti ducal coat of arms is represented by a shield bearing a serpent with a babe in its mouth, surmounted by a crown. The Visconti family recollects that – back in year 800 – one of their ancestors had killed in the vicinity of Milan a serpent that poisoned infants just by breathing on them.

The other half of the Alfa Romeo logo, the red cross set against a white background, stems on the other hand from the banner of the city of Milan.

ALFA ROMEO VISCONTI: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION