The Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta is a 2010 Pininfarinaconcept car and a tribute to mark the 80th anniversary of Pininfarina and the centenary of Alfa Romeo. It is also a tribute to the Duetto Spider.
Context
The 2uettottanta concept is Pininfarina's vision for how a next-generation Alfa spider should look. The 2uettottanta represents the culmination of an age-old partnership between the two Italian firms, and pays tribute to the iconic 60s-era Duetto roadster. 2uettottanta, rarely has a name meant so much for Italian sports cars: the 2 refers to the two-seater configuration, the 2uetto to the influence of Alfa's classic Duetto model and ottanta – 80 in Italian – to the number of years Pininfarina has been coming up with such stunners. It is a celebratory car aiming to replicate the "passion" of the two brands. The way the name is spelled often leads to confusion. The first character is not a 2 as is often presumed but a capital manuscript D as it was written in the Renaissance.
Awards
In 2010, 2uettottanta won the Car Design of the Year Award for the bestcar design of 2010 in the concept car category at the Geneva Motor Show. Also in Geneva, the Pininfarina Design Team directed by Lowie Vermeersch was honored by the Czech magazine Autodesign&Styling with the AutoDesign Award.
Style
With its red bodywork, inspired by the typical Alfa Romeo paintwork, the 2uettottanta is wide, long, high and has a wheelbase of 2500 mm. Clean, elegantly lined, simple 2-seater, all-Italian, the car features design cues from the Alfa Romeo Duetto and it has front end that underlines Alfa Romeo character, triangle with Alfa Romeo emblem. The bodywork's soft curves are set off perfectly by the bold metallic paint. The volumes of the Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta by Pininfarina are light, slender, refined, with shapes that seem to cross the air with ease: the car seems to raise itself from earth and "to go beyond". This is the result of an optical effect obtained thanks to the line that crosses the car horizontally. The front-end of the 2uettottanta features a central line. To the sides of the Alfa Romeo emblem, there are two air inlets, in a triangular shape. The headlights, based on the last LED technologies, are set under the line that characterizes the entire car. A carbon band in the lower part of the front end acts as a splitter and conveys the air towards the back. The horizontal line that starts from the front wheel and extends to the posterior wheel drives great dynamism. The back too is characterized by smooth and essential surfaces. The two bumps seem to be born from the volume. They look like floating wings and create the roll-bars at the back of the seats. The inside is spacious and comfortable. The form-fitting sports seats give outstanding support, and our arms are held at a perfect distance for us to clutch the small 14.2-inch-diameter retro-styled three-spoke steering wheel. The driving position is low to the ground and the seatback steeply raked. The major controls are placed logically around the steering column and on the central tunnel, as well as across the upper dash. The detailing includes glowing white Alfa Romeo badges on the centre of the speedometer and rev counter needles. The gearlever is finished in machined aluminum billet. Beautifully integrated into its design is the bright red start button.
Technical information
The car is equipped with a longitudinally mounted turbocharged 1750 cc four cylinder engine, a powerplant that evokes memories of the 1750 Veloce from 1968, one of the many versions derived from the famous "Osso di Seppia". Power is delivered to the rear wheels through a TCT box. Another little jewel is the new design for the lever of Alfa's DNA adaptive chassis system.
