Italdesign Aztec 1988

[Wouter Melissen]

I believe they built quite a few.

[LeonOfTheDead]

I believe they built quite a few.

The seller (actually, his wife, I suppose) told me it was a "one-off road going concept", but I guess you are right

[cmcpokey]

there was one concept, and 50 built by a japanese firm. this is the concept, and it is on loan from a japanese museum. i took the pics last sunday, and they had had the car in for less than a week. it's possible its the same car

[Duell]

Bonhams On the Grid The Abu Dhabi Auction
25 November 2023


1988 Italdesign Aztec Barchetta
Coachwork by Giorgietto Giugiaro
Chassis no. ZA9T1P03A00D50020

• One of approximately 20 produced
• Under 7,770 kilometers shown

In 1988, Italdesign celebrated its 20th anniversary with three incredible concepts: the Asgard MPV, Aspid coupe, and Aztec barchetta. Mind-blowing show cars are certainly not new in motoring history, and the Italians have a certain propensity for turning fantasy into reality. Italdesign's founder, Giorgetto Giugiaro, started his career at Fiat in 1955 at just 17 years old. Following stints at Ghia and Bertone, Giugiaro founded what would become Italdesign in 1968, a consultancy for manufacturers and coachbuilders.

Forging lasting relationships with major manufacturers, Giugiaro penned a string of iconic designs including Volkswagen's Golf & Scirocco, the Audi 80, BMW M1, Lotus Esprit, Alfasud, Fiat Panda, Lancia Delta, and more. He was named "Car Designer of the Century" in 1999 for his contributions to the industry. Italdesign also rolled out spectacular concept vehicles showcasing Giugiaro's fertile creativity, and the Asgard, Aspid, and Aztec represented a welcome break from production car designs, looking as if they wandered from the set of Blade Runner.

Of the three show cars, only the Aztec was a runner. Light years away from Italdesign's production cars, the Aztec was a bold reinvention of the barchetta, featuring separate cockpits, mid-mounted engine, and four-wheel drive. The transmission componentry was sourced from the Lancia Delta Integrale, the five-cylinder, 20-valve, turbo-charged 250bhp engine came from the Audi Quattro, and an aluminum, carbon fiber and Kevlar body clothed a steel ladder-frame chassis. To enter, you first had to tilt the cockpit canopy upwards then open the door; once inside, the driver and passenger communicated via intercom. Beneath the skin, the Aztec was not especially radical, but the 'sci-fi' aesthetics were startling, the detailing making it look more like a spaceship than a motorcar. High-tech side panels housed coded buttons that controlled the locks and the interface for the built-in hydraulic jacks and various vehicle functions.

Japanese industrialist Mario Myakawa was enthralled and purchased the rights to the Aztec through his company Compact, hiring Audi tuner Motoren-Technik-Mayer (MTM) to engineer it for homologation and limited production. Giugiaro commented, 'When the Aztec prototype was exhibited at the Turin Motor Show in 1988, I found it difficult to imagine that it would become a real car. It is therefore of immense satisfaction that the Aztec is now actually roadworthy and not just a static styling exercise.' Yet once German type approval was finally achieved, the hefty DM500,000 price tag dampened enthusiasm and the planned 50 cars dwindled to approximately 15-20 completed examples.

Serial number 50020 is one of the original production Aztecs built by the Japanese firm, Compact. As with all Aztecs, it is finished in space-age silver, with a rarely seen, striking red interior. Sporting a carbon fiber rear wing, double glass canopies, and rolling on correct Canonica modular wheels, it has lost none of its visual impact in the 35 years since debut. It is nicely presented, showing just under 7,700 km, and bearing the signature of Giorgetto Giugiaro on the right flank. The interior features the original-type instrumentation and controls, with the original Halda rally computer on the passenger side. Some slight delamination is noted in the glass, and the car is exceptionally well preserved throughout.

[Duell]

Italdesign Aztec #8