The rear end features a striking array of crystal-like blades which are intertwined in various widths and lengths, protruding out into space. The rear of the car in fact has a disembodied or “pixilated” look, representing a tail-of-the-comet metaphor, as if the sheer speed of the vehicle is pulling the underlying, technical “Frame” rearward, away from the sensuous, flowing “Skin” above. This “dematerialization” phenomenon of the car is generated by the intrinsic motion of the form, which means the car looks like it is moving even when it is standing still.
There are also two small fixed white shields below the rear bumper which hold the quad tailpipes, creating a visual continuation of the white side panels which seem to wrap around under the car.
The taillights are fully integrated into the organic tangle of the blades and disappear when turned off. The new Alfa Romeo family feeling is again visible in the rear of the car with same V-shaped bumper found on the front of the vehicle, which the travels the entire length of the body, forming a powerful virtual, Alfa Romeo backbone.
The doors, as in many other Bertone-designed masterpieces (such as the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo, the 1970 Lancia Stratos 0, the 1972 Lamborghini Countach, and the
2007 Fiat Barchetta), open in a visually striking manner. Virtually hinged around the axis of the rear wheel, the Pandion doors open by rotating backwards, ending up a perfect 90 degrees above the center of the rear wheel, lifting up the entire body side of the vehicle, from the front fender to the rear fender. When fully open they are more than 3.6 metres high. This spectacular solution is design mainly for glamour, bringing back the “wow” factor to today’s lackluster automotive industry. This futuristic door mechanism also has a pragmatic side as well. Since all ‘extreme’ sports cars are literally impossible to get in and out of, the Pandion is designed to utilize the horizontal space in the car since the vertical space is so limited.
In the event of an accident that results in a ‘roll-over’, the doors detach from the car body so that the passengers can exit of the car.
- The interior: minimalist glamour
The shapes that make the Pandion spring to life are the result of a design study aimed at creating an organic whole, without resorting to short-cuts to ensure continuity between the interior and exterior, a perfect balance between architectural rigour and the spectacular shapes of living organisms.
The design language used to create the passenger compartment has resulted in a fluid environment, due to the fittings that seem to have grown spontaneously, without ever having been either designed or constructed. We have named this expressive code, never seen before in the automotive sector until today, algorithmic design. The concept, taken from the world of mathematics, indicates an organic alternative to traditional design and is the ‘propagation of random forms’. It is as if the design were following a kind of complex development which is neither linear nor geometric, generating an ‘auto-organising’ shape, with the ‘spontaneous growth’ of algorithms such as ‘swarms’ or ‘vines’.
When observing the interior of the Pandion, the first things that draw our attention are the front seats. The car’s layout is typical of Alfa Romeo coupés, i.e. 2+2. While the two rear seats are the classic ‘extra spaces’, the front seats are two incredibly thin (30 mm) ergonomic chaise longue chairs. They have carbon fiber shells (that mimic the style of the car’s exoskeleton or ‘skin’) covered in Technogel® and backlit with reLIGHT® fabric, that conforms to the shape of the driver’s or passenger’s body. The principle that inspired the designers was that of ‘zero gravity’, i.e. a warm and welcoming environment that would convey a sensation of enhanced quality of life inside at first sight, but… with zero gravity.
In fact, all the furnishings inside the passenger compartment all tend to float visually, suspended in the magic of the blue light. Behind these minimalist choices however lies a careful study of ergonomics: the seats are the result of a perfect synthesis between high performance, flexibility and lightness. The clear floor is illuminated in the same “swimming pool blue” color of the seats, offering a spectacular visual continuation of the voluptuous seats, with its’ flowing contours where the driver and passenger can feel protected in a truly glamorous shell.
The steering wheel is clearly that of a sports car, while the controls are similar to those of Alfa Romeo race cars, with two analogue dials placed directly on the steering column. Three of the four LCD screens offer a rear view inside the passenger compartment (two on the sides, one on the windscreen) and they are directly connected to the external video cameras that substitute the rear view mirrors normally placed outside the car. The larger screen placed in the centre (9”), in the middle of the console – and within reach of the passenger as well as the driver – also displays information on the car’s systems (air conditioning, sound systems, Sat Nav, etc…).
- Conclusion
‘We are walking in the footprints of giants.’ That is the Bertone company motto. The giants referred to are Giovanni and Nuccio Bertone. However, following in their footsteps does not mean copying them, on the contrary. It means applying their teachings and using them as guidelines for further advances. We ask our designers to follow a total creative method, where they observe phenomena that are apparently unrelated to each other and try to apply them to the automotive world.
However design research is not enough. At Bertone we study concepts, and therefore each design is the result or a spinoff of an innovative idea or a new phenomenon. Mike Robinson, Design & Brand Director at Bertone, comments: ‘Cars are like films: they must tell a story to win people over. The best car designers are necessarily excellent narrators and their products, whether they are concept cars or mass-produced products, reflect their creators’ ability to gather fascinating ideas from every field, from all over the world, to bring them together and transform them into new and great stories. This is what we have attempted to do with the Alfa Pandion.’
There are also two small fixed white shields below the rear bumper which hold the quad tailpipes, creating a visual continuation of the white side panels which seem to wrap around under the car.
The taillights are fully integrated into the organic tangle of the blades and disappear when turned off. The new Alfa Romeo family feeling is again visible in the rear of the car with same V-shaped bumper found on the front of the vehicle, which the travels the entire length of the body, forming a powerful virtual, Alfa Romeo backbone.
The doors, as in many other Bertone-designed masterpieces (such as the 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo, the 1970 Lancia Stratos 0, the 1972 Lamborghini Countach, and the
2007 Fiat Barchetta), open in a visually striking manner. Virtually hinged around the axis of the rear wheel, the Pandion doors open by rotating backwards, ending up a perfect 90 degrees above the center of the rear wheel, lifting up the entire body side of the vehicle, from the front fender to the rear fender. When fully open they are more than 3.6 metres high. This spectacular solution is design mainly for glamour, bringing back the “wow” factor to today’s lackluster automotive industry. This futuristic door mechanism also has a pragmatic side as well. Since all ‘extreme’ sports cars are literally impossible to get in and out of, the Pandion is designed to utilize the horizontal space in the car since the vertical space is so limited.
In the event of an accident that results in a ‘roll-over’, the doors detach from the car body so that the passengers can exit of the car.
- The interior: minimalist glamour
The shapes that make the Pandion spring to life are the result of a design study aimed at creating an organic whole, without resorting to short-cuts to ensure continuity between the interior and exterior, a perfect balance between architectural rigour and the spectacular shapes of living organisms.
The design language used to create the passenger compartment has resulted in a fluid environment, due to the fittings that seem to have grown spontaneously, without ever having been either designed or constructed. We have named this expressive code, never seen before in the automotive sector until today, algorithmic design. The concept, taken from the world of mathematics, indicates an organic alternative to traditional design and is the ‘propagation of random forms’. It is as if the design were following a kind of complex development which is neither linear nor geometric, generating an ‘auto-organising’ shape, with the ‘spontaneous growth’ of algorithms such as ‘swarms’ or ‘vines’.
When observing the interior of the Pandion, the first things that draw our attention are the front seats. The car’s layout is typical of Alfa Romeo coupés, i.e. 2+2. While the two rear seats are the classic ‘extra spaces’, the front seats are two incredibly thin (30 mm) ergonomic chaise longue chairs. They have carbon fiber shells (that mimic the style of the car’s exoskeleton or ‘skin’) covered in Technogel® and backlit with reLIGHT® fabric, that conforms to the shape of the driver’s or passenger’s body. The principle that inspired the designers was that of ‘zero gravity’, i.e. a warm and welcoming environment that would convey a sensation of enhanced quality of life inside at first sight, but… with zero gravity.
In fact, all the furnishings inside the passenger compartment all tend to float visually, suspended in the magic of the blue light. Behind these minimalist choices however lies a careful study of ergonomics: the seats are the result of a perfect synthesis between high performance, flexibility and lightness. The clear floor is illuminated in the same “swimming pool blue” color of the seats, offering a spectacular visual continuation of the voluptuous seats, with its’ flowing contours where the driver and passenger can feel protected in a truly glamorous shell.
The steering wheel is clearly that of a sports car, while the controls are similar to those of Alfa Romeo race cars, with two analogue dials placed directly on the steering column. Three of the four LCD screens offer a rear view inside the passenger compartment (two on the sides, one on the windscreen) and they are directly connected to the external video cameras that substitute the rear view mirrors normally placed outside the car. The larger screen placed in the centre (9”), in the middle of the console – and within reach of the passenger as well as the driver – also displays information on the car’s systems (air conditioning, sound systems, Sat Nav, etc…).
- Conclusion
‘We are walking in the footprints of giants.’ That is the Bertone company motto. The giants referred to are Giovanni and Nuccio Bertone. However, following in their footsteps does not mean copying them, on the contrary. It means applying their teachings and using them as guidelines for further advances. We ask our designers to follow a total creative method, where they observe phenomena that are apparently unrelated to each other and try to apply them to the automotive world.
However design research is not enough. At Bertone we study concepts, and therefore each design is the result or a spinoff of an innovative idea or a new phenomenon. Mike Robinson, Design & Brand Director at Bertone, comments: ‘Cars are like films: they must tell a story to win people over. The best car designers are necessarily excellent narrators and their products, whether they are concept cars or mass-produced products, reflect their creators’ ability to gather fascinating ideas from every field, from all over the world, to bring them together and transform them into new and great stories. This is what we have attempted to do with the Alfa Pandion.’
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