Coupe/cabriolet/pickup concept to debut in Geneva
Well, here's a small-car novelty item - a folding roof pickup, based on Fiat's Grande Punto. The new concept car is the brainchild of Italian design house Fioravanti, and features the company's unique folding roof technology.
Fioravanti's roof technology first saw production in last year's Ferrari Superamerica (see photo after the jump). The lightweight carbon fiber-based roof is said to be much less bulky and cumbersome than the multi-part roofs on the first-generation coupe-cabriolets hitting showrooms this year.
In the Grande Punto prototype shown above, the roof is augmented by a folding tailgate that transforms the car into a mini-pickup.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jim 6:25PM (2/06/2006)
I guess we can assume this will be Truck Trend's "Truck of the Year" next year...
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Michael Cicconi 7:45PM (2/06/2006)
I read Top Gear magazine's review of the Superamerica from their July 2005 issue. The roof is a really cool, supposedly is ingeniuous design that is much less complicated than the new folding ones.
The downside: when that roof is open, it creates a vacuum because of the curvature of the glass, so it ruins some of the aerodynamics. Which is only a minor detail, which cabrio drivers aren't worried about anyway.
Another thing though: if it rains, and you don't get a chance to pull over right away to close the roof, water collects in the same curved part, so when the top snaps up to close, the water lands ... on your head.
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Jeff Gilleran 8:04PM (2/06/2006)
Its interesting that the back hatch folds down.
the 92-95 Honda Civic Hatchbacks do the same thing, and it works pretty good actually.
What I like about the Punto Grande, is that its convertible, which allows for larger items to fit better, along with a lightweight but strong top.
As long as the top seals well and doesnt leak. :)
Its less Subaru "Baja" or "Brat" like, which isnt a bad thing even though I like the Brats "beat me up" attitude.
Not a bad layout, and the car is actually attractive for a small car but if it had AWD, I bet it would sell well here in the US.
I used to hate the fiats of the past, so thats saying something.
Im sure the quality has improved immensely from the 70s and 80s since they were last here in the US.
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