Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo '1991
Alfa Romeo is a legendary Italian brand founded in Milan in 1910. Its history reflects the main stages in the development of the entire European car industry. In the early years, she specialized in the production of expensive cars with high dynamic performance. In the 30s. the company reaches the pinnacle of its fame: at the time, Alfa Romeo was considered one of the best sports cars, but only a few could buy them.
Everything changed after the war, when such products were no longer in demand. The company was forced to switch to producing cheaper models, while maintaining racing tradition and prestige. This decision ensured the immense popularity of the Giulietta and Giulia cars during the 50s - 60s. Subsequent developments by Alfa Romeo gradually lost their former appeal and led to financial problems, although sales volumes increased due to the entry into the market of compact hatchbacks. In 1986, the firm became part of the Fiat Group and is now its premium division.
Design Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo
The Proteo project was developed and carried out in its own design studio under the direction of Walter da Silva. Proteo is a two-seater coupe based on the Alfa Romeo 164. The debut took place at the Geneva Motor Show. Some, but not all of Proteo's technical findings were later used on future GTVs and Spiders. Under the hood of the concept is a three-liter, 24-valve quad-cam engine that has been significantly redesigned and boosted to around 250 hp.
Design Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo
The shortened chassis from 164 has been radically changed - an all-wheel drive transmission has been developed with the ability to control all four wheels. Cutting-edge alpha engineers didn't want to rely on front-wheel drive alone. Head Fiat, as it always happens, has shelved most of the many promising decisions.
Design Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo
For the success of any car, and a concept car in particular, it is very important to beautifully "package" mechanical and electronic components - in other words, to design an original, attractive and at the same time comfortable body. Everyone is free to judge how much the stylists of "Alfa-Romeo" succeeded in (the "Proteo" form was developed by them, and not by their famous colleagues from "Bertone", who worked for the success of "Alfa-Romeo" for half a century)
Design Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo
The silhouette of the body - with a sharply falling line of the bonnet, a short high trunk and a massive sidewall - is characteristic of the latest generation of Alfa Romeo. It is not so much the novelty of its features that attracts, but the ability to use well-found techniques for bodies that are different in shape and purpose. The wedge-shaped protrusion on the bonnet is completed with a tiny triangular "radiator lining" (here it is purely decorative, air enters from below, through a window in the spoiler) - this is how the relationship with the production model "164" is indicated.
Design Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo
The massive volume of the body is effectively dissected by an inclined line that visually separates the rapidly wedge-shaped "top" from the massive, like a kind of crankcase for units, "bottom". Something similar can be seen on the Alpha-SZ Dzagato coupe that appeared several years ago, and on the serial Alpha-155. If in other models the lighting devices often serve as an important decorative element, then in Proteo their influence on the appearance is minimized: in the front there are two groups of three small headlights, in the back there is a narrow strip of lanterns.
Under the hood Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo
Proteo designers have focused special attention on the upper part of the body, the so-called lantern. It stows away in a special compartment and is mounted using an electro-hydraulic drive. All this, of course, is not for the sake of practicing designing mechanisms with complex kinematics.
Interior Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo
Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo
The designers sought to combine the advantages of an open roadster and a closed coupe in one body. Hence, by the way, the name of the car - in honor of the ancient Greek deity Proteus, who had the ability to change appearance at will. It is not difficult to see a hint at the downright divine beauty of the car - and, really, its authors cannot be reproached for immodesty. Proteo's appearance creates an amazing sense of unity, no matter how it is considered.
Another highlight is the special "Solekstra" glass, from which the side windows and the roof are made, and the thin metal coating, the laminated glass transmits no more than 22 percent of infrared rays that carry thermal energy. As for the body itself, some panels (for example, the hood) are made of carbon composite to reduce weight.
Much attention has been paid to the seats, which were developed jointly with the German company Recaro: the backs and cushions are electrically adjustable, and the cushions are in length and height, and the electronics memorize the selected position. To make it easier to get in, the seats automatically slide back when the door is opened. Seat belts are attached to the backrests and seat bases.
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Alfa Romeo 164 Protèo '1991
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