When epoch-making design has little effect
01/31/2020
Innovative design studies and prototypes have been and continue to be shown at international motor shows. But even if what was shown attracted everyone's attention and was widely commented on, only a few of the high-flying ideas ever made it into series production.
One example is the "Supersonic" line from Ghia. The first of these Supersonic coupés was created in 1953, the designer was Savonuzzi, the car Ghia Supersonic Alfa Romeo 1900 Conrero. The car burned out in the same year, but the design was reused for some special bodies based on the Fiat 8V (later Jaguar XK120 and Aston Martin DB2/4).
The flowing lines with jet-age attributes must have made quite an impression at the time, because next to a VW Beetle, Ford Anglia or Renault 4 CV, the coupé, which looked fast even when stationary, certainly looked like a vehicle from the future. Nevertheless, there were hardly any imitators and the design of series-produced cars developed in other directions.
The same can be said of the Lancia Stratos HF Zeroby Bertone, which caused a sensation at the 1970 motor shows. Although the car was built in a wedge shape for over a decade, the specific design elements of the Zero hardly ever found their way into series production. In the case of the Stratos, this was certainly due to the fact that nobody wanted an everyday car with such a low height. But why didn't a VW Karmann-Ghia look a bit like the Ghia Supersonic?
