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The
definitive version of ERA is presented in public for the
first time at the Geneva Motor Show, after its first
preview in Turin last May during the celebrations for
the company’s thirtieth anniversary. ERA represents the
turning point and the rebirth of I.DE.A Institute.
ERA is just the
first in a series of models that I.DE.A Institute intends to
create in the next few years and represents the rebirth of
the company. The design projects that the company is working
on for the coming years range from cars to two-wheeled
vehicles, from industrial design to interior and fashion
design. This creates opportunities for synergies and
cultural exchange between these various disciplines that
will surely give rise to exciting new future trends.
Since it was
seen at that private event, and later in the year in public
during the third instalment of the Trilogy of the
Automobile: Dream exhibition in Turin, ERA has a number
of changes including a new body colour, gull-wing doors and
an interior with simple, essential tubular structures to be
admired once seated comfortably in the new wraparound seats
upholstered in a high-tech fabric created by a well-known
fashion designer. The bonnet is long and sloping, the tail
is a veil that rests on the bodywork to create harmonious
curves while the front and rear light clusters are luminous
eyes that convey the car’s character.
The ERA is
passion, elegance and character
ERA is a
two-seater roadster expressing continuity with the past and
at the same time symbolising a company on its way to a new
future. Designed for pure driving pleasure, imagining that
you can travel for miles and miles, admiring landscapes in
search of pure adventure, ERA shows off its female forms,
underlining a play of unfettered volumes in a blend of
romanticism and rationality.
Its shapes
emerge from instinctive pencil strokes on a sheet of paper.
The smooth curves, proportions, elegance and character come
to life from taut yet harmonious lines that give the car its
elegant powerful look.
Simplicity and
exclusive materials have inspired the features for the
interior with its strong character displaying the
traditional Italian art of craftsmanship. With ERA, the team
of young designers, expert modellers and creators of show
cars have succeeded in taking Italian design back to its
origins, to the instinctive design of shapes in a
contemporary interpretation of that classic “Italian Style”
that is much appreciated the world over.
Built on a
monocoque steel chassis clad in layers of carbon, the
mechanical layout was designed to take two types of engine
set-up - with 4 or 6 cylinders and front or rear drive. A
hybrid configuration with an endothermic engine combined
with an electrical alternator/actuator is also possible. The
passenger compartment reflects the car’s pure sporty image,
fitted with visible tubular structures in brushed aluminium
and analogue instruments positioned at the centre of the
dashboard.
Thirty years of
evolution, transformation and events for the new I.DE.A
Institute
I.DE.A Institute
was founded in 1978 by Franco Mantegazza. The company has
recently transferred from its historical premises in Villa
Cantamerla to the prestigious glass and high-tech steel
12,000 sq m headquarters in Turin. In its thirty years of
activity, I.DE.A Institute has expanded into a truly global
organisation with six operating centres in Europe, Asia and
South America.
I.DE.A Institute
was created with the aim of providing a technological
partnership to carmakers and never to impose its own
signature on the cars it developed. I.DE.A's true trademark
is the innovative spirit that it has embodied for over
thirty years in its approach to design and engineering in
the automotive field. This spirit has attracted figures of
the calibre of Renzo Piano, Walter de’ Silva and Ercole
Spada during their professional careers.
Today I.DE.A
Institute looks to the future thanks to the new Chairman,
Pietro Lardini, who has launched a process of structural
renewal and international expansion. The company offers its
clients a turnkey service through its optimised working
methods that fully respond to the market demand for a
flexible, integrated workflow. I.DE.A Institute’s services
cover the entire product development process: from the
initial concept, through design, engineering, the
construction of 1:1 scale models and running prototypes,
right up to start of production. One important
characteristic of I.DE.A Institute is its systematic
application of a Cost Engineering methodology to every phase
in product development. This achieves the best possible
balance between technology and cost in order to fully meet
its customers’ targets.
During its
history, I.DE.A Institute has worked with the world’s major
carmakers supplying design, engineering and prototyping
services as well as complete turnkey projects. The Fiat VSS
(sub-system vehicle), Fiat Tipo, Nissan Terrano II and
Daihatsu Move are just a few of the many vehicles that have
been designed by I.DE.A Institute. In recent years, in
addition to its major European clients, the company has also
collaborated with rapidly growing carmakers from China, such
as Changan and Hainan. I.DE.A Institute has also been a key
partner in the development of the most important low cost
cars on the world market today and has also cooperated with
market leaders in other industries such as Cagiva, Ducati,
Telecom, Hoover/Candy and Saporiti, to name but a few.
The new I.DE.A
Institute: not just car design
After a sweeping
review of its organisation by the new Chairman, the company
is now run by a new management team formed of young, highly
motivated people who are given important responsibilities.
From the first sketches, the first lines on a sheet of
paper, to computerised renderings, surface data, engineering
and feasibility studies, right down to prototype
development. The ideas of young designers, modern
technologies, the competence and technical skills of the
company’s expert “historical” modellers are the strengths of
the new I.DE.A Institute.
With the
expansion of the Design Centre in Turin, more young
designers have joined the company and investments have been
made in Computer Aided Styling technologies. The new Design
Centre now focuses not only on Design and Styling but also
on benchmarking, trend analysis and advanced design. The
company’s focus is on providing its clients with a
comprehensive package, not just a styling consultancy or a
model but a complete service. In addition to vehicle design,
I.DE.A Institute is also working on projects for other
industrial products as well as interior and fashion design.
Industrial
design and interior design
The experience
and capabilities of I.DE.A Institute are enriched by the
projects it carries out for a wide variety of manufacturers
of everyday objects. The focus of the Design team is to
re-interpret these everyday objects in a functional and
stylistic key, aiming to satisfy those requirements that are
fundamental for design, such as ergonomics and
recyclability. In the home furnishings sector, I.DE.A
Institute is collaborating on projects with world-renowned
names such as B&B and Alcantara and also takes part in
international competitions in interior design and
architecture. A team of young fashion designers also works
in the new Design Centre, and is already collaborating with
some of the best-known Italian names in the fashion world.
The development
of ERA and the return to the Geneva Motor Show after an
absence of ten years are tangible signs of the new spirit
driving the company forward. ERA is only the first of a
series of models that I.DE.A Institute plans to develop to
confirm its design philosophy.
In 2000, I.DE.A
Institute, which records annual sales of Euro 40 million and
has a workforce of 400, became part of the multinational
Rieter Group, with its headquarters in Winterthur,
Switzerland, a workforce of around 15,500 people worldwide
and sales of SF 3.14 billion in 2008. I.DE.A Institute’s
international expansion includes offices and operating
centres in China (Shanghai), France (Paris), Romania
(Pitesti) and Brazil (Betim).
Technical specifications foreseen for ERA:
Dimensions: Length: 4300 mm; Width: 1840 mm; Height: 920 mm;
Wheelbase: 2560 mm
Existing monocoque chassis M2 segment
Transverse engine 4/6 cylinders
Possible horsepower: up to 300 HP plus 100 bhp in the hybrid
version
Drive: front weel drive; 4 wheel-drive for the hybrid
version
Gearbox: manual/sequential 5/6 gears
Fuel tank in central position
Lithium polymer batteries
Passengers: 2 seats
Suspension: Front: independent in wheel double triangle;
Rear: independent in wheel double square
Power-assisted ventilated front/rear discs
Regenerative electric breaking in hybrid mode
Alloy Wheels (front/rear): 19 x 8,5
Tyres: 245/40 R19
Kerb weight: from 1500 to 2000 Kg
Functionality: combustion engine only, electric motor only
or mixed
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