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Where it all Started
There is one car that started to all for the Aztec 7. That car is an Alfa Romeo Prototype car called the Beritone Carabo. If you check out the images you will see the similarities in this supercar and the Aztec 7.
The Alfa Romeo Carabo was a milestone in Supercar design. Originally penned by Marcello Gandini, from Bertone, the car was called "Carabo," meaning beetle. The concept car was shown in October 1968, at Porte de Versailles in Paris, to a stunned crowd. It was built on the Chassis of the mid-engined V8 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 and was an experimental design. The Lamborghini Miura, also previously designed by Gandini, had suffered from front-end lift at high speeds, so the Carabo was an exercise in focusing on an aerodynamic solution. The car also featured upward hinging doors, which later inspired the Lamborghini Countach.
Below is an official Press Release by Bertone:
At the end of the 1960's Bertone focussed his creative energies on prototypes. The Turin designer's creativity and daring reached its peak in 1968 with the Carabo, which was presented at the Paris Motor Show in October.
Built on the Alfa Romeo 33 chassis with a centrally-mounted engine, it became a style classic, known for its creativity and original features, some of which contribute to its legendary standing.
Design features like its tight lines, tapering front blending in seamlessly with the windscreen, and the air inlets and outlets.
And the original door mechanism, with doors opening upwards and forwards (a concept which reappears on the production Countach), and even the novel colour: iridescent green like a beetle (hence the name Carabo, in Italian, a type of beetle).
The result hit the headlines all round the world, and not just in the trade press, and the positive feedback was unanimous.
The Carabo was Bertone's bold but aesthetically and functionally valid vision of the sporty car of the future. And the use of new materials and novel construction techniques means that this concept car was something more than just an exercise in styling.
In the image gallery an attempt has been made to find as many images of this car as possible. They can be used to compare to the Aztec 7 or just enjoyed as this car is a very good looking car. Photos have been attempted to be credited but if a credit is missing please contact us right away.
Bartone Carabo Photo Album
Another Photo Album with more recent images
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