In 2000 when the Fiat Coupe was axed, the company was left with no other coupe to boast of in its line up. But then, Peter Norris, the British designer seems to have hit upon an idea to fill the void of a sports car model in Fiat’s inventory. However, with the car proudly carrying the Pininfarina badge, what seems more likely is a sports car that will be more about luxury than being a new generation of the affordable Fiat Coupe.
As per information currently available, the new Fiat will be a front engined rear wheel drive luxury sports car that will have the essence of the Italian company as we know of. From what we get of the layout, we can say that the car would be more of a successor to the 1960’s RWD Fiat Dino rather than to the late 1990s FWD Fiat Coupe that was designed by Chris Bangle.
The coupe is expected to have a sleek profile and a very low roofline, which will make the wheels seem gigantic. The massive wheel arches also renders the car an aggressive stance, while the front end, especially the shape of the headlights and the upright bumper reminds us of the modern-day Aston Martins. The rear too is equally appealing with its C-shaped LED light units along with exhaust pipes aligned around the center.
Peter Norris explained that the project begun as: “a reboot of the Fiat Coupe”, which set out to develop a present day version of the car. However, an ex-Fiat Coupe owner himself, he changed his mind mid-way so that what emerged in the end is a luxury coupe, thereby bringing in the Pininfarina badges on the car.
“I used to own a Fiat Coupe 16v Turbo, and whilst it frequently broke down and cost me a fortune in repair bills, I just didn’t have the heart to get rid of it. I still turn my head every time one drives past me,” said Norris while speaking to Carbodydesign.
He further went on to add: “The Pininfarina styling inside as much as outside just oozes with Italian flair and really was, and still is different to anything else on the road. Some people have referred to it as a ‘baby Ferrari’. So I began sketching out ideas for a Fiat Coupe for 2012. After roughing out the body in 3d I changed my mind and decided that I wanted to build something that was more of a luxury rather than a budget sports car and wondered what a car designed by Pininfarina under its own badge might look like, and so it evolved from there.”
Source: carscoop
