The somewhat different Alfasud
05/06/2020
The history of the automobile is not exactly full of examples of attractively shaped six-seaters with sporty qualities. But in 1977, a convincing example of this rare breed was on show at the Geneva Motor Show . The concept car was designed by Chris Humberstone and the passengers were arranged in three rows rather than two, but in such a way that they could be arranged in a comparatively small space. The interior design of the car was so successful that a patent was immediately applied for. The two-door coupé was designed to seat two to six people and, depending on the occupancy, could also carry up to 1.62 cubic meters of luggage. According to a report in Automobil Revue 11/1977, the car could be used "as a saloon with a glass roof, as an open sports car (glass roof stowed), as an estate car with 1, 2, 3 or 4 seats folded down and a load compartment accessible through the tailgate, as a pick-up with the tailgate removed or even as a camper with the sides raised and the tailgate lifted". Definitely a flexible space and body concept.
The study was paid for by glass manufacturer Triplex, which also provided the appropriate material called "Ten Twenty" and thus also the name: "Ten Twenty Special".
The technology came from Alfa Romeo, and the substructure of an Alfasud was used, although the track and overall width had to be adapted to the space concept. The body itself was made of aluminum, the glass roof was removable (and had to stay at home).
The "rolling idea carrier", whose Alfa engine was specified with 1558 cm3 and 132 hp at 6400 rpm, attracted a lot of attention in Geneva.
The magazine "auto motor und sport" wrote in its coverage of the show: "Lots of glass also on the TTS (Ten Twenty Special) by English designer Chris Humberstone, which is not surprising in this case: the coupé based on the Alfasud was commissioned by the English glass manufacturer Triplex. The roof of the TTS, which is designed to seat up to six people, is even made of the same new safety glass that is also used for the Concorde supersonic aircraft."
The Automobil Revue also took a detailed look at the TTS, but was quite critical: "Although the exterior shape itself is quite sleek, the waistline appears to have been pushed relatively far upwards due to the low pavilion. This impression is of course reinforced when the roof section is removed .... Whether six passengers would feel comfortable in the relatively tight space in practice remains an open question."
Not much more was heard of the "Humberstone Alfasud" after the Geneva Motor Show, which is a shame, but perhaps a reader knows where the one-off can be found today?
P.S. As always, the pictures can of course also be found in higher resolution in the Zwischengas picture archive .
