On display this week at the Top Marques auto show in Monaco is this extravagant one-off by Italian coachbuilders Walter Faralli (right, above) & Luca Mazzanti (left). Although pictures of the car are all over the net this week, it actually debuted in September 2005 at the Gran Premio Automobilistico di Roma.

The Antas GT is at the opposite end of the car-building spectrum from the Caparo T1, also on display in Monaco. While the T1 is a pure expression of form following function, the Antas is rolling sculpture, with its roadgoing performance secondary to the expression of historic design themes of the 1930's and 1950's. With a nod to its Italian roots, the Antas gets its name from the ancient Etruscan word for "Eagle."

Even the engine bay plays a part, scorning fuel injection for the crowning touch of the chrome intake trumpets of four two-barrel Weber carbs - the classic performance statement of the '50s and '60s brought back to life.

The Antas wasn't "designed" in the way that Chris Bangle or J Mays probably thinks of design, it was drawn. In the words of Faralli & Mazzanti, "Nothing was developed by computer; everything came from the heart, from the imagination and the capable hands of experts."

Whether or not you think the Antas is a beautiful car, it's nice to know that the automotive world still has a place for artists like Faralli & Mazzanti. More pictures after the jump, and check out the extensive galleries at the F&M website, here.

[Source: Progettofem.it]

Continue reading Coachbuilder tour de force: the Antas GT

Coachbuilder tour de force: the Antas GT originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Apr 2006 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.