The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa
d’Este will once again host a spectacular world premiere in 2012 and, in so
doing, build on its tradition as a gathering of the industry’s leading
coachbuilders. The premiere in question will see the time-honoured Milanese
coachbuilder Zagato team up with BMW to unveil the result of a unique
collaboration: the BMW Zagato Coupé.
Zagato has worked in close
collaboration to create an exciting and emotionally charged coupé in the finest
tradition of automotive workmanship. The BMW Zagato Coupé embodies the
unbridled fascination of cars and fuses the design DNA of the two companies
into a fresh and desinctive whole. This one-off model is the product of many
hours of skilled hand-craftsmanship and breathes new life into the tradition of
coachbuilding.
It is hard to think of a
better occasion for the premiere than the Concorso d‘Eleganza Villa d’Este, one
of the most exclusive events in the world of classic cars and motorcycles. The
vehicles shown on the banks of Lake Como are hand-picked, the number of
entrants limited and the surroundings simply without comparison. The Concorso
began as a get-together of coachbuilders presenting one-off hand-built
creations, and the BMW Zagato Coupé follows very much in that tradition.
Made for the road.
The two partners settled on a
realistic and applied approach to the development of the BMW Zagato Coupé.
“Zagato has always provided its customers with ready-to-drive cars which can be
sent into action on the road or race track without further ado – and the BMW
Zagato Coupé fits the same template,” says Dr Andrea Zagato, who represents the
third generation of his family to sit at the helm of the company. To this end,
the car is registered for road use and meets all the legal requirements
worldwide. “It is relatively easy to build a design study which is not intended
for use on the road. Not having to meet any stipulations governing crash safety
or pedestrian protection opens up a host of new avenues in terms of design,” he
adds. “The challenge lies in injecting the emotional appeal of a concept car
into a road-legal machine. And we think we have succeeded in doing just that
with the BMW Zagato Coupé.” Indeed, the new creation has already cut a “bella
figura” at high speeds during testing on the BMW test track.
Both partners can look back on
a rich heritage, sharing as they do a passion for cars that stretches back over
80 years. Added to which, Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice-President BMW Group
Design, and Andrea Zagato are long-time appreciators of each other’s work;
indeed, Zagato took home the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Design Award in
both 2010 and 2011. However, this collaboration is about more than mutual
respect.
Zagato chief designer Norihiko
Harada and van Hooydonk have been friends for many years, so when Andrea Zagato
proposed a collaboration, it wasn’t long before the decision was made to build
a car at Zagato that embodies the two companies’ passion for cars.
BMW and the Italian design.
After sawing in 1939 the
creation of the first BMWs sporting tailor made Italian metalwork, a coupé
based on the BMW 328 for the upcoming race season and specifically for the
Mille Miglia (where it triumphed in 1940), BMW was back to Milan in 1954 to buy
from Renzo Rivolta, founder of ISO, drawings, license and tooling necessary for
the production of the legendary Isetta.
Almost sixty years later BMW
had the opportunity to re-establish a connection with the Rivolta family. As a
matter of fact Marella Rivolta, wife of Andrea Zagato, is Zagato Art Director
and responsible of BMW Coupé Zagato trim and colours.
The hands of Italian designers
were also responsible for the eye-catching looks of the BMW 3200 Michelotti
Vignale (1959), BMW 700 (1959), BMW 3200 CS Bertone (1962) and BMW M1 (1978) –
all of which retain the status of design icons to this day.
The BMW Zagato Coupé heralds a
new chapter in the tradition of cooperation between BMW and Italian designers.
Much has changed since those earlier collaborations, however, with the advent
of new working methods such as digital sketching, Photoshop and CAD/CAS tools
opening the door to an entirely new way of working. Despite these advances in
the design tools available, the human touch is still essential to the process.
“Working with Zagato was a fantastic experience. It was extremely enriching for
us to create something with people who share our understanding of good design
and passion for cars,” explains Karim Habib, Head of Design BMW Automobiles.
“And that is what makes the car so special – the open and constructive dialogue
with Zagato, their experience, craftsmanship and incomparable sense for forms.
All of these gifts are wrapped up in the BMW Zagato Coupé.”
The body of the BMW Zagato
Coupé has been built entirely by hand. As in the past, the new skin was
tailored to fit the car’s mechanical architecture, tracing its lines yet giving
it space to breathe. The Zagato experts spent many hours crafting the aluminium
sheet metal by hand and meticulously moulding it to give the car its unique
form.
The design – a BMW seen through the eyes of Zagato.
The BMW Zagato Coupé is a
collaboration between auto enthusiasts – a BMW seen through the eyes of Zagato.
This comes through in the design of the car, hallmark design cues from both
companies merging to form an emotion-laden coupé in the best Zagato tradition.
The brief for the car was clear from the outset: the BMW Zagato Coupé was to be
a “Vmax concept”, a road-registered, aerodynamically optimised machine capable
of achieving high speeds yet at the same time meeting all legal requirements
and crash-related stipulations – a car that is ready and eager to be driven.
The proportions of the BMW
Zagato Coupé alone exude the promise of a very special driving experience. The
extremely long bonnet, greenhouse set well back and double bubble roof and Kamm
Tail sum up the dynamic focus of the car as only a coupé could. The flowing
roofline melts away into the compact, muscular rear, where the car’s power is
transferred to the road. This sculptural and visually striking surface
treatment is a Zagato hallmark and lends the BMW Zagato Coupé a distinctive and
instantly recognisable personality. The surface treatment, on the other hand,
is clearly inspired by BMW. The car’s dynamic silhouette sees precise lines
forging a path over taut surfaces towards the rear. Surfaces moulded with
eye-catching depth underline the sporting statement of the BMW Zagato Coupé.
“For me, the BMW Zagato Coupé holds a very special magic. It exudes a certain
spontaneity which, when combined with the type of unconventional solutions
typical of Zagato, lend the car a very individual elegance,” says Zagato chief
designer Norihiko Harada.
A striking front end.
The BMW Zagato Coupé is
extremely three-dimensional, very wide and powerfully contoured at the front.
The dynamically forward-surging front end dips down prominently towards the
road and gives the car an agile sense of purpose, as if in mid-leap. A stunning
interpretation of the classic BMW face – with its twin circular headlights,
kidney-shaped radiator grille and BMW logo – marks the BMW Zagato Coupé out as
a BMW without the need for a second glance. These extremely low,
width-emphasising elements lend the front end an undeniably sporty appearance.
The contoured bonnet builds on
this dynamic flair with its sweeping lines and taut surfaces. A pair of air
intakes integrated into the bonnet send extra supplies of air into the engine
compartment and highlight the presence of the high-performance engine beneath.
The contours of the bonnet are picked up by the double-bubble roof as the lines
of the body continue on to the rear of the car. These two domes built into the
structure of the roof are a signature feature of Zagato design and reduce the
front area. As well as providing greater headroom when wearing a helmet on the
track, the double bubble (“doppia gobba”) roof also enhances the car’s
aerodynamics and increases the roof’s torsional rigidity. The roof of almost
every Zagato features this design.
Looking further down below the
bonnet, the headlights of the BMW Zagato Coupé focus purposefully on the road
ahead, and accentuate the car’s driver-oriented character and high-speed
potential. Low down between the headlights is Zagato’s take on the BMW radiator
grille, with matt kidney frames inspired by Buckmister Fuller geodetic
structures A stand-out detail here is the use of countless small matt Zagato
“z” letters to make up the kidney grille. Viewed from the front, the “z”
letters appear to be floating within the kidneys. Close-up, it is clear that
they are set against a collection of other dark-coloured “z”s positioned into
octagons. Gleaming chrome “z”s are used only on the visible side of the
octagons. This arrangement injects added depth into the kidney grating and
gives the front end an extra touch of class.
The design of the front apron
steers the eye to the wheels and the car’s broad stance. Large air intakes add
low-set finishing touches to the car’s nose, their dynamic form and size
hinting at the power of the engine under the bonnet.
Dynamic, powerful flanks.
From the side, the BMW Zagato
Coupé displays the pared down, clearly defined distribution of visual mass for
which Zagato is renowned, blended with the familiar surface treatment and
design language of a BMW. Its coupé design also necessitated a new roofline,
which highlights the car’s potential with impressive fluidity and dynamic élan.
The long, sweeping bonnet
sends the greenhouse a long way back towards the rear and the car’s visual
focus is therefore also pulled rearwards, in traditional Zagato 2 seater style.
The rear end itself is cut almost vertically in another Zagato cue, which
enhances aerodynamics. The flanks, meanwhile, adopt the classical BMW Roadster
lines, imbues them with extra tautness and extends them into the muscular rear
end with a compelling swing of the hips. The attractive interplay of lines here
draws attention to the rear wheels and the car’s rear-wheel-drive
configuration. The powerful flourish above the rear wheels is picked up and
passed on by the spoiler, injecting the whole area with additional dynamic impetus.
The side air vents reference
the form of the bonnet intakes and extend their dynamic agenda to the car’s
flanks. Below the side vents, the silver “z” provides another nod to the
cooperation between BMW and Zagato.
Slightly offset behind the
silver “z”, a matching indentation provides greater depth and
three-dimensionality. The two “z”s in the air intakes and BMW badges are the
only gleaming chrome elements on the BMW Zagato Coupé.
Another characteristic Zagato
design theme is the specially designed “criss-cross” transition from the side
windows into the rear window. The lower section of the side window surrounds
slants dramatically upwards just ahead of the rear end and extends to form the
upper border of the rear window. In so doing, this hallmark design element
links the sides and rear via the C-pillar and ensures a harmonious connection
between the different sections of the car. This aspect of the BMW Zagato Coupé
design is particularly striking when viewed from above.
A common heritage
Both BMW and Zagato are famous
for getting the same inspiration from Professor Kamm’s studies on aerodynamic
rear end. The 1940 BMW 328 Kamm Coupé as well as the Alfa SZ and TZ boosted a
typical Kamm-tail (K-tail) layout. This solution became famous in Italy with the
name “Coda Tronca” bodies which were tested by Zagato in the beginning of the
60s.
Kamm Effect is part of the
functional design approach that aims to the aerodynamic efficiency. According
to this, the CX can be lowered by keeping compact volumes at the same time.
The reduction of the wind resistance is
assured with the Kamm Tail design, without any need of a very stretched “drop”
shape of the tail.
BMW Zagato Coupé doesn’t need
the support of any fix or mobile rear wing since the aerodynamic of its tail is
already very efficient.
A muscular rear end.
The distinctive rear end
provides the clearest evidence of Zagato’s influence. Formed almost without a
single joint, the rear end cuts a classy figure, appearing as if formed from a
single mould. Nothing interrupts the flow of surfaces and the powerful
sculpture of the rear. At the same time, this also provides evidence of the
high degree of hand-craftsmanship involved in making the car and Zagato’s
experience in the manipulation of surfaces and forms, channelled into the car’s
design at the company’s studio.
Taken as a whole, the rear of
the BMW Zagato Coupé has a very broad, low-slung appearance, its powerful,
solid form and purposeful design language giving the car a planted stance on
the road.
The most distinctive feature
of the rear end is the transparent panel in its upper section familiar from
other Zagato creations. Divided visually into three sections, the generous
glass surfaces open up a line of sight to the lights and into the interior.
Their dark tint gives the BMW Zagato Coupé an even sportier look. A curved bar
featuring the Zagato trademark splits the surface into sections and gives the
car a greater impression of width. The likewise tinted rear window can be
opened, offering access to the rear luggage compartment.
A prominent rear bumper feeds
downwards into a large diffuser. The diffuser extends well out to the sides,
providing an effective contrast to the bar dividing the glass and lending the
rear an extremely broad and sporty presence in the process. Matt edging
accentuates the form of the diffuser, draws the focus to the wheels and
underlines the planted stance of the BMW Zagato Coupé. The exhaust tailpipes,
positioned towards the outer edges of the rear, add further emphasis, their
matt finish contributing another stylish flourish to the rear.
Highlights and details.
The unique character of the
BMW Zagato Coupé is reflected in even smaller details. The 19-inch light-alloy
wheels in classically sporty five-spoke design have a hint of propeller about
them, offering a subtle nod to the origins of both companies. Indeed, both BMW
and Zagato founder Ugo Zagato took an airborne route into automotive
construction. Their subtly attractive matt finish lends the car extra allure
from the side.
A very special highlight of
the BMW Zagato Coupé is its paintwork. The exclusive exterior paint finish
Rosso Vivace – an expressive shade of red – brings the surfaces and forms of
the BMW Zagato Coupé to life. Depending on how the light hits the body, the
colour spectrum ranges from something close to black all the way to a brilliant
red. This remarkable depth and radiance is possible thanks to sophisticated
paint application technology. The primer coat – made up of a black application,
followed by a layer of shimmering metallic silver – is applied first. Then come
six ultra-thin coats of the exclusively developed red shade to deliver this
unique effect. Finally, two layers of clear coat seal in the colour.
Exquisite touches in the interior.
The interior is clearly
structured, in customary BMW style, and invites the keen driver to take the helm.
This character was picked up by the Zagato designers and given further emphasis
by an exclusive colour and materials concept. Exquisite materials and
high-quality details provide an extremely stylish showcase for the interior’s
sporting flair and driver focus.
Additional elements fitted by
hand, such as horizontal lines in the instrument panel and doors, heighten the
interior’s sense of sporting elegance. The lines culminate in a dynamic upward
curve for extra sporting effect. The base colours for the exclusive leather
trim are a light and dark shade of grey. Together, they underline the
horizontal geometry of the interior, while red decorative stitching in the
instrument panel, doors and seats brings the colour of the body into the
interior and adds extra sporting touches. A “z” embroidered into the seats is
the clearest reference in the interior to the origins of the BMW Zagato Coupé.
The “horizontal line” design
theme has also found its way into the luggage compartment, as have the two
shades of grey and the red accents. Here, the lines are a subtle reference to
the form of the double-bubble roof. Two exclusive accessories – a hat bag and a
travel bag – set the seal on Zagato’s colour and materials upgrade. The travel
bag also recreates the form of the double-bubble roof and is designed to
maintain its bulbous lines even when empty.
Zagato – a coachbuilder with a long tradition.
Founded by Ugo Zagato in 1919,
today Zagato is the only automotive body manufacturer still in independent
ownership. From its earliest days, Zagato has taken a minimalist and pared-down
approach to its creations, very much in keeping with the Milanese tradition of
design. Volumes takes precedence over details, thanks in part to technical
considerations. Body designer Ugo Zagato learned his trade in – among other
industries – aviation, where aerodynamics and lightweight construction play a
central role. Zagato duly applied these principles rigorously in the
construction of cars and soon celebrated a rash of race victories as a body
construction partner to Alfa Romeo. The “necessary beauty” of aerodynamics and
lightweight construction came to represent a maxim of design, one that has
defined the form of every Zagato since. The narrow focus on coupés, two-door
driving machines stripped back to their essential components, also became a
Zagato tradition, underpinning an “unspoilt” driving experience.
Today, with Andrea Zagato
becoming the third generation of his family to take his seat at the helm, the
company describes itself as a design studio combining the emotion and
hand-craftsmanship of body construction with the precision of state-of-the-art
technology. Zagato follows coachbuilding tradition in developing only the shell
of the car and leaving the mechanics of the machine untouched. And it does so
not by taking over the design process for large carmakers, but by working in
tandem with the relevant design teams. More than 200 Vmax concepts, special
editions and micro-series have been created in this way down the years and find
appreciation among connoisseurs and collectors the world over. Indeed, all
Zagatos are coveted collector’s items today and worth many times what their
original owners paid for them.
Source: BMW Press
Thanks for sharing this nice stuff and I am here to share a hot news regarding Nissan as-Nissan, one of the leading auto makers from Japan has revealed the revamped Nissan Altima at the New York Auto Show. This car is known as Altima in the US and some other countries as well but for the Indian Car Market this car is known as Nissan Teana. Nissan is performing exceptionally well in some countries but in India the brand is having a difficult time to create an impression; the only cars doing well are Micra and Sunny. The 2013 Nissan Altima for the US car market is an overwhelming car rich in style, performance, innovation and fuel economy.
ReplyDeleteNissan Car Prices