Concept Car of the Week: Alfa Romeo Nuvola (1996)

Before heading Volkswagen Group Design, Walter de Silva spent thirteen years at the reins of Alfa Romeo Centro Stile in Arese. During this time he led an effective overhaul of the brand's design language and market positioning. Keen to bring the brand back to its former glory, he undertook the creation of what the brand ultimately needed, a prestigious and thoroughly Postmodern sports car.

Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show 1996, the Nuvola was an instant classic. Its voluptuous body and balanced proportions echoes legendary models of the brand. Pure Alfisti will recognize the character of the 8C 2900, the elegance of the 6C 2500 Villa d'Este, and the purity of a 1900C Super Sprint. It was also named after the famous italian race car driver Tazio Nuvolari, while Nuvola is also italian for ‘cloud'.

At the time the combination of the retro Alfa Romeo grill contrasting with the modernity of double trio of eyes was stunningly bold. Its proportions too were extreme, its bulbous cabin sitting far back behind that long hood, while the tail drops gently ornamented by thin LED tail lamps.

Developped in partnership with IDEA, the Nuvola was built on a high-strength steel spaceframe chassis, to which the mechanical components and polyester body were attached. This construction offered lightness, torsional rigidity and protection as well as low manufacturing cost. More importantly for Alfa Romeo, the modularity of the platform offered opportunities to be used across a range of models, from a sexy convertible to practical sedan.

The show car was fitted with a 2.5-liter V6 twin-turbo producing 296 bhp coupled with a 6-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel drive transmission.

When presented to Paolo Cantarella Alfa's then-new CEO, he insisted the car not be red. So, as it is commonplace in Italy, a last minute solution had to be found and the team came up with this unusual color ‘Azzuro Nuvola', or ‘blue cloud'.

De Silva expected this project to reach the production lines but with the GTV coupe already on sale, the management did not see the need for another sports car in the range. Disheartened by this lack of vision, he left for Seat in 1999.
After the concept retired from the spotlights, only the fancy paint remained as an expensive option in the Alfa Romeo catalogue

First seen Paris Motor Show 1996
Designer Walter de Silva
Length 4,286mm
Width 1,859mm
Wheelbase 2,600mm
Engine 2.5-liter V6, twin-turbo
Power 296bhp

Your author, Flavien Dachet, is a UK-based, French-born car designer. You may know him as the purveyor of KarzNshit, a photo blog that if isn't already in your bookmarks, certainly should be.

By Flavien Dachet