Italdesign Giugiaro celebrated their fortieth anniversary in Geneva with the launch of the Quaranta concept car developed in collaboration with Toyota to showcase their Hybrid Synergy Drive.

Italdesign Giugiaro celebrated their fortieth anniversary at the Geneva Motor Show with the launch of the Quaranta concept car. The concept was developed in collaboration with Toyota to showcase their Hybrid Synergy Drive, this time with the innovation of a central mid-mounted positioning of a hybrid engine on a super sports car.

For over forty years Italdesign Giugiaro have been at the forefront in automotive styling, responsible for a wealth of successful city cars and exotics alike. This history was illustrated on the large stand space with historical prototypes, including the Bizzarrini Manta of 1968, Lancia Medusa of 1980 and Bugatti EB-112 of 1993.

The Quaranta celebrates not only Giugiaro’s ability in automotive styling, but also engineering. Italdesign Giugiaro continue to offer packaging services to leading automotive manufacturers, such as Volkswagen for their recent Up! concept car.

The Quaranta’s hybrid drivetrain strives towards providing a car which pollutes less on our roads. With AWD, the super sports car combines a hybrid engine with solar energy. The seating layout permits three adults to travel in comfort, with a central driving position similar to a Mclaren F1, however also including an extra seating space for a young child directly behind the driver.

The design of the car uses simple forms, very much akin to the origami design pushed by Giugiaro back in the 1970s.  In simple terms, it reincarnates the style language applied to concepts of the past including the 1971 Alfasud Caimano, celebrating a memorable era in Giugiaro’s history. The sharp edges, however, have also been reintroduced in order to maximise aerodynamic efficiency. At the front, two side air inlets positioned above the lighting clusters perform the delicate function of front stabilisers. Other aerodynamic features include a spoiler that supports the lower wing, modelled according to the latest generation in F1 engineering, which makes up for the absence of the traditional upper stabiliser.

Access to the cabin is through the huge forward hinging cockpit, with an almost flat windscreen. A secondary hinging section at the rear provides access to the engine compartment and boot. The roof houses a number of solar panels which power the electric battery located between the front and rear hinging sections. The solar panels can generate a power of up to 250 W, which is also sufficient for the functioning of the cockpit air conditioning system.

The body of the Quaranta uses a carbon monocoque frame, clad with aluminium panels and steel components. The Quaranta is fit with electronic all-wheel drive, divided in a small electric motor on the fore-carriage and the thermal engine/electric engine system located in a central rear position. This particular structure, which has seen Toyota’s involvement in the electronic control management, has made it possible to develop the vehicle on a 2620 mm wheelbase, ideal for a mid-engined car. The Quaranta features a double fuel-tank, integrated in the supporting frame, with a total capacity of 60 litres, giving a mileage of up to 1000 km.

Other innovative features include the suspension links which have been designed according to F1 cars. These are equipped with a central mono-shock absorber echoing an idea already presented by Italdesign Giugiaro on the 2004 Toyota Volta and on the 1997 Alfa Romeo Scighera. The linkage mechanism of the levers guarantees exceptional stability in any type of situation, simulating a “multilink” mechanism. The ground clearance of the Quaranta can also be raised by up to 230 mm for uneven surfaces.

The Quaranta evolves from the Volta concept car from 2004. For the Quaranta project, Toyota provided Italdesign Giugiaro with their latest Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which consists of a V6 3.3-liter gasoline engine and two electric motors that operate in synergy, delivering a high power output which is comparable to that of an 8-cylinder engine. Despite this, the fuel consumption and emissions are lower than those of a 4-cylinder engine. In order to improve efficiency and handling, the intelligent E-Four system automatically selects rear- or all-wheel drive.

The Quaranta is a showcase of Italdesign Giugiaro’s engineering, design and prototyping process, with the concept made completely at Italdesign Giugiaro’s Moncalieri facilities.

by James Granger