Bertone are showing the Suagnà concept car on the occasion of the 76th Geneva International Motor Show this week. This brand new concept, which is based around the new Fiat Grande Punto floorpan and mechanicals, is the historic Italian design firm's own interpretation of the popular coupé-cabriolet theme with a prototype which they believe offers aggressive elegance, while achieving levels of roominess and comfort that are completely unknown for this category of car.

Now Europe's best-selling car, the Grande Punto is expected to prove to be a real opportunity for Italy's top design and styling houses, and Bertone (along with Fioravanti) are taking the opportunity presented by the prestigious Geneva Motor Show to offer up their own ideas of how niche products based around this exciting new 'compact' class car may evolve in the future. Reminding visitors of Bertone's long and successful history at the forefront of Italian design, the Suagnà is being presented alongside the famous Lamborghini Miura, one of the greatest productions sportscars of all time. Both cars are finished with the same coloured eye-catching paint.

Bertone Suagnà

The name comes from the adjective “suagnà” which, in Piedmontese dialect, means a job done painstakingly, paying scrupulous attention to every detail. Developed around the new Fiat Grande Punto model, the Bertone Suagnà has extremely dynamic graphics which elaborate on a theme dear to Bertone: an open sports car, that is dedicated to young drivers, very accessible to the general public, agile and easily handled, and with a strong, sparkling personality. The car is 4173 mm long, 1380 mm high, 1773 mm wide and with a wheelbase of 2155 mm. The Geneva showcar is fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels shod with meaty 255/48 tyres. The Bertone Suagnà opens another chapter in the long-running collaboration between Bertone and the Fiat brand which, in over ninety years, has produced more than 45 models, one-off proposals, concept cars and mass-produced cars.

Styling

The Bertone Suagnà has a strong, aggressive graphic identity, the result of uncompromising stylistic research, over and above the latest fashions, in the best Bertone tradition. The extremely dynamic volumetric proposal that resulted is based on a coupé body. The high, muscular tail holds the roof, which folds in two and disappears into the boot. The rear end links up to the high, arching waist-line, which gives tension to the whole side. The way the masses seem to urge forward is partly the effect of a slash that emphasises the arched waist-line.
 

The low, sleek roof forms a single whole with the sloping windscreen which defines the front volume. The front and rear views are both marked by a hollow effect: the graphic treatment of both these volumes is enhanced by “boomerang” light clusters, inscribed like scratches inside a metal band. The 18-inch alloy wheels also contribute to this sensation of sporty aggressiveness.

Interior

In just over four metres of length, the Bertone Suagnà provides four “proper” seats, which are comfortable and accessible, and it is currently the only segment B coupé-cabriolet to offer this amount of space, typical of a higher segment. The two front seats were defined to accommodate even large occupants (95 percentile), while the two rear seats provide plenty of room even at knee height, a fact that is unique on a segment B coupé-cabriolet. From the viewpoint of styling, the interior furnishings of the Bertone Suagnà are fresh and elegant, creating a youthful, sporty ambience. The stylists focused on using innovative materials, upholding a long-established Bertone tradition. The anatomical seats, designed specifically for this model, have differentiated upholstery: leather side strips are finished with a special “crumpled” effect, and a central strip is fashioned out of a luxurious “high-tech” fabric, which seems to be woven with intertwined aluminium. The graphics of the extremely sporty instrumentation reflect the car’s dynamic, sparkling image.

The roof system

The roof system of the Bertone Suagnà was designed and built in a short time by CTS, Car Top System, the German convertible specialist. The roof system consists of a two piece retractable hard top. The main advantage of this roof concept with its steep backlite is that it renders the parcel shelf unnecessary. Its distinguishing feature is the steep backlite that can be lowered independently of whether the roof is open or closed. It is thus possible to travel with the roof closed and the backlite lowered, so as to have a fresh air supply inside the cab. With the roof open, on the other hand, the backlite can be raised to serve as an anti-buffet screen.