Ghia Saetta - Turin show debut for concept speedster
04/22/1996
Ford
The Ghia Saetta is a new compact speedster concept car that makes its world debut at the Turin International Motor Show (25 April to 5 May -- press days 22 and 23 April).
Saetta, which means "as fast as lightning" in Italian, is designed to explore the idea of producing an exhilarating yet affordable, open-top two-seater.
Geometric design
From the top of Saetta's low profile windscreen, a central longitudinal roll-bar runs to the rear deck. This forms a dorsal spine that creates a strong and safe structure. The roll-bar flares into the bodywork in a sharply sculpted architectural shape.
Throughout its design, the Saetta explores the potential for using hard edges, geometric forms and straight lines. Called "New Edge", this form of automotive design is a fresh interpretation of the smoother, more rounded lines of traditional "Aero" design, which is seen in most of today's production vehicles. Both the Aero and New Edge design were created by Ford Corporate Design.
This innovative approach to design is evident in many of the details on the Saetta. These include the triangular shapes of the exhausts and front air scoops, plus the bold blocks of metallic blue paint work and matte aluminum that highlight the exterior surface. This exterior color split accentuates the speedster's graphic lines.
A particularly interesting interior feature is the fitting of removable, transparent plastic storage pockets to the fascia and door trims. The Saetta's cockpit can be fully enclosed when required, with Ghia proposing the use of either a hard top or an easily stored soft top.
Saetta's design is the work of an international design team. Led by Camilo Pardo from the United States, Nico Tonello from Italy designed the exterior, with Britain's Hugo Nightingale and Frenchman Raphael Bretecher creating the interior.
"With Saetta we have been exploring fresh ideas for using shapes and forms, whilst always bearing in mind the possibilities of production," said Filippo Sapino, managing director of Ford's Ghia design studio.
"Our speedster concept explodes the myth that it's necessary to put a soft radius on everything to create an aerodynamic form: bold and inventive interpretation opens up exciting new possibilities," stated Sapino.
Niche derivatives on common platforms for Ford 2000
Ghia's concept for the Fiesta-sized (B-car segment) Saetta speedster fulfills one of the key objectives of Ford 2000. This is to develop exciting, fun-to-drive vehicles based on existing Ford product platforms and which suit specific market niches.
As a result, the Saetta could be developed with low manufacturing investment as a very affordable niche derivative within the price range of many more young drivers than most existing open-topped cars.
Ghia S.p.A. at the Turin Show
The Saetta is one of two new concept cars from Ghia S.p.A. making their debut at the Turin Show. Located in Turin, Ghia has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company since 1972. Ghia has specialized facilities for vehicle design through to the fabrication of driveable prototypes.