Corvette ZR1-based Mantide coming from Stile Bertone this week
Now that episode six of the KineticFin-produced mini-documentary has revealed that Project M is based on the Corvette ZR1, we finally have a name for Jason Castriota's newest endeavor. The Mantide, due to debut at the Shanghai Motor Show this weekend, features custom coachwork that appears both angular and organic, and seeks to rekindle Stile Bertone's place in the world of bespoke automotive design. Expect all the details on the concept to be revealed later this week, with the running version set to debut in Italy on April 23.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
zamafir 7:11PM (4/14/2009)
wonderful, i'm looking forward to seeing the interior and rear of the car.
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neoscape 7:15PM (4/14/2009)
I hate these slow reveals. I'm dying to see what the whole thing looks like...
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Judgeman 7:27PM (4/14/2009)
I wonder if GM would serve themselves well by offering the corvette chassis to companies like Pininfarina, Bertone, and other smaller, niche companies. The chassis and drive line are amazing for the money but the interior and styling?? Perhaps GM could usher in the renaissance of the coachbuilder.
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thipps 7:37PM (4/14/2009)
WHEELS! um not so good
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jinsei888 7:41PM (4/14/2009)
so for the previous remarks regarding "looks like a praying mantis", you're logic is correct, judging by the project title--inspiration as a mantis?
Yet you also fail because you intended those remarks to be negative...
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George 7:45PM (4/14/2009)
Watch video number 3 and 4 discussing how aggressive the car is going to be. The wheels are powerful. Also in video 5 Jason is discussing how Stile Bertone used trapezoids and triangles to signify technology in the countach. Probably an homage to those designers. There is a CRAZY shot of the rear in the last video that looks completely different from anything I've seen. Mantide is italian for Praying Mantis. Someone was guessing mantis on earlier blog posts. cool.
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Taglane 7:46PM (4/14/2009)
Mantide? Maybe that's why I saw a Praying Mantis in the front end.
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BowlingGreen 7:49PM (4/14/2009)
Wheels are crazy. Gonna be a f*ckload of angles on this car. Check out the shot of the wheel well from the other day -- even it has angles:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/project-m/1475118/
The nuts at the corvette forums are going ape-sh*t (in a mostly good way I think)
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Kentucky 7:53PM (4/14/2009)
I'm too young to remember the release of the countach. Anybody wondering whether this will be as important? How will we know?
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RLQ 8:40PM (4/14/2009)
Nasty wheels.
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Niels 10:14PM (4/14/2009)
What does everyone have against the wheels!? I love them! Spoked wheels have become so boring and repetitive. They're the only option on cars today. I'll stick with my 37-year-old Ford and its hubcaps.
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Kill The Fanboys 9:53PM (4/14/2009)
I have no faith in what we are about to see....
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Jsams4131 10:56PM (4/14/2009)
I have mixed feelings about this car now but I like the way it looks its definately very futuristic, but after this episode I've learned that it essentially came from a ZR1 although I wonder besides the tube they said they were going to put in the door was the only modification to the frame they made.
The Wheels could be better imo...but clearly its all about design with this car so to each his own. I'd take spoked wheels all day. mesh wheels...anything.but that.
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patrick 11:39PM (4/14/2009)
I wish GM would swallow their pride and hire someone from the outside to restyle the body and interior.
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Andre 12:12AM (4/15/2009)
He must of got his inspiration from Praying Mantis like i said earlier in the other article, Now the car is Titled "Mantide"??? lol
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tekd 2:05AM (4/15/2009)
Yeah that name...is gonna need some work for English-speaking countries. Nobody's going to want to buy a car called man tide, lol.
Japanese Cars 12:39AM (4/15/2009)
Does the car rest on only its rear wheels like a praying mantis?
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hollar1211 9:22AM (4/15/2009)
Those wheels are burning my retinas. Hopefully they don't make the final version in Shanghai. As for the angular wheel wells, didn't Lamborghini already do that with the Reventon? I like the idea of creating a new "supercar", but rebodying (sp?) an existing one doesn't really accomplish that. I have a feeling this may fizzle out fairly quickly. A lot of hype though.
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ladysilver70 11:58AM (4/24/2009)
I love the design of this car. The angles in the wheel well are incredibly original and stylish. The originality in this cars design really sings to me, too bad i don't have the 1.5 lol.
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AutoCritical 11:33AM (6/12/2009)
It looks great with an awesome aggressive stance - The only thing is the body side seems a little 'round' for the rest of the car - compared to the sketch.... The surface does create a more 'faster' appearance but doesn't seem sheer enough...more thoughts at http://www.autocritical.com/blog/
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