When tuners make cars more beautiful
10/23/2020
Tuners didn't always have the best reputation in the 1980s; some of their creations were seen as an attack on good (design) taste. And this has changed very little to this day, although there have always been good counter-examples.
When we recently heard about the plans of the tuner Prior Design to redimension the new huge kidney grille on the BMW M3/M4, we were able to see some merit in this.
The drawings (renderings) certainly look interesting, as a comparison we made with the original from BMW shows.
But there are also interesting examples from the past. For example, the Alfa Spider "Aerodinamica" shown above was launched in 1983, which did not appeal to all fans of classic Alfa design language with its large-volume rubber rear end.
Tuner Zender, however, knew what to do and presented a body kit for the Alfa in 1986. The Automobil Revue reported at the time:
"Zender's in-house designer Günther Zillner found it a particularly appealing task to also carefully take the Alfa Romeo Spider in its current form into the cure. In fact, this car, designed and built by Pininfarina, no longer meets with the undivided approval of all fans. The Zender/Ziller changes are extremely subtle: the front was given a GRP spoiler bumper into which the traditional Alfa grille is integrated, the front apron is continued in the side moldings, and the rubber lip on the rear spoiler edge gives way to a three-part, much flatter spoiler made of PUR foam."
The individual parts - there were also alloy wheels - could be bought separately, and the rear spoiler cost DM 361.00. Quite a few people took advantage of this.
Now, of course, one wonders whether an Alfa Spider "Aerodinamica" modified with Zender parts back then is worth more or less today than the original with the Pininfarina rear end ...
