To tie in with this year’s introduction of the Ferrari Superamerica, Fioravanti are presenting their 2001 Alfa Romeo Vola concept alongside their Kite and Lancia Kandahar concepts at the 75th Geneva International Motor Show.

The Vola marked the introduction of the innovative ‘LF’ roof design that ‘makes’ the new Pininfarina-built Ferrari Superamerica, so it was a fitting and logical move from Fioravanti to reintroduce the original concept to the international press last week.

The Vola was a highly advanced car when it was launched at the Geneva Motor Show four years ago, basically stealing the show with its distinctive styling and romance as a two-seater Alfa Romeo sportscar. But it was the Vola’s patent LF roof feature which caused the greatest stir amongst automakers and the public due to its shear simplicity and low-cost implementation for manufacturing. Whilst contemporary mechanisms power folding hardtops down in to the boot (as on the Mercedes SLK), the LF concept is placed on top of the boot lid for obvious advantages of both practicality and weight distribution.

The front of the Vola is characterized by novel lighting technology developed in conjuction with Lumileds, including a new type of fog lamps that continued into the flanks of the car to embrace the indicator lights and indicator repeater lights. These combined lighting units also substitute the traditional chrome ‘whiskers’ that have complimented the air intake grilles on so many celebrated Alfa Romeo designs throughout the marque’s history.

The lighting technology is also abundant in the main headlight components. The daytime driving lights, nighttime driving lights and high beam headlights are all joined into one single transparent element on either side of the car, which also combine the air-outlets for the engine bay and the housing for the rearview video cameras. These video cameras substitute rear view mirrors for advanced aerodynamics.

Another innovative design found on the Vola are the rear indicator lights which emerge from the rotation element of the roof. The rear end features typical Alfa styling elements, including the high-placed and sleekly-shaped taillights.

The interior design continues the same simple philosophy as on the exterior, with the number of components being reduced to a bare minimum. Despite this, the interior is not sparse and its symmetrical design with twin ‘canoes’ for the driver and passenger underlines the concept’s intent as a car to be enjoyed by two individuals together.
 

The symmetrical door panels feature a unique armrest design, which also combines the door handle and ventilation outlet. The main instrument binnacle, which is lit in a very original manner, is laid out side-by-side the inboard rearview display screen (relayed through the cameras mounted on the headlight components). The central space between the two canoes includes a multi-functional display for GPS, telephone, climate controls, minor controls, a button for operating the LF roof concept, and the control keyboard for other functions.

The interesting Alfa Romeo Vola and the positive reaction of its LF roof concept provided the perfect opportunity for an automaker to create a unique production sportscar. Given the tight relationship between Fioravanti and Ferrari, which stretches over a forty year period of styling some of the most memorable Ferrari road cars, the priority in production of such an innovative concept was granted to the luxury sports car manufacturer hands down.

The Ferrari Superamerica, derived from the 575 Maranello, is therefore the first production car to be equipped with this technology. Thanks to the lightweight carbon fibre frame structure of the components, the roof opens and closes in ten seconds flat through a switch on the centre console. When open, the roof rests upon the boot lid, leaving the load capacity unchanged and, due to the shape of the integrated rear window, it also acts as an anti-turbulence wind breaker device for the driver and passenger.

The roof is also equipped with five-stage electro-chromatic glass technology which allows various transparency variations. Upon locking the car, the roof tints fully for security reasons.

For high performance cars such as the Ferrari Superamerica, the Fioravanti roof also offers minimal weight distribution difference (barycentre) between the open and closed positions, which is an almost unique feature for a folding hardtop design.

Examples of the Ferrari Superamerica with Fioravanti roof technology are presented on both the Pininfarina and Ferrari stands.

by Edd Ellison in Geneva