Autoblog

Click to view in the Spada Codatronca in high resolution

The Spada Codatronca is one of those cars you just have to see from all the angles. Unfortunately, Autoblog doesn't need the kind of tax shelter Monaco provides to its wealthy residents, so we won't be on hand when the production version of the car is unveiled there next month at the Top Marques show, which the angular coachbuilt supercar will be headlining. Its creators – father-son team Ercole and Paolo Spada – have, however, been kind enough to bestow upon us a pair of new high-resolution images, which we've added to the gallery below (and the full press release after the jump) for your viewing pleasure, in the hope that we get another eyeful soon after the car's unveiling.


[Source: SpadaVettureSport]

Click above to high-res gallery of the Spada Codatronca

The sheer outrageousness of the Spada Codatroca's design is rivaled only by the notion that it is actually being built, but in both cases seeing is believing. The wildly shark-styled Vette-based sportscar is scheduled to be officially unveiled in limited-production guise at the upcoming Top Marques show in Monaco (where else?) on April 24.

You may recall that the Codatronca packs a supercharged LS7 V8 into its expressly unique bodywork and promises a sprint to sixty in 3.2 seconds. That's in the base 600-hp TS version, which will be shown in Monte Carlo prior to the more extreme track-oriented 700-hp TSV model said to hit sixty in a scant 2.7. To produce the Codatronca for an assuredly wealthy few customers, SpadaConcept – led by former Zagato designer Ercole Spada and his son Paulo – set up SpadaVettureSport in collaboration with fellow Italian coachbuilder Aznom and a slew of other partners including Pirelli, OZ Racing, Sparco, prototype firm FS Rivoli and racing outfit Italtecnica.

[Source: OmniAuto.it]

If the name SpadaConcept rings a bell, you're probably recalling the Codatronca, the Italian coachbuilder's radical shark-nosed and tail-fined Corvette-based supercar pictured at right. The design studio has now designed a racing helmet for Italian manufacturer Stilo that's almost as radical.

The ST4 helmet is made of carbon fiber and manufactured in an autoclave, giving it a lower weight than conventional designs. Although it's not the first CF helmet on the market, it could be the most intriguing we've seen yet. The aggressive design incorporates two outlets for radio connection and hydration system in an aerodynamic shape good for open-cockpit racing. The result is a package that looks straight out of a sci-fi movie or video game (take your pick), but we'd gladly strap one on to test the 600-horsepower Codatronca, if and when the car is built.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

click above image for high-res pics of the Spada Codatronca

Believe it or not, we passed over spy shots of this car being development tested because we didn't believe it was a legitimate model that would one day see production. We were wrong on that one, as today news has come from Italy that the car we once thought was a joke is actually the SpadaConcept Codatronca.

This new supercar was designed and produced by the Italian design house SpadaConcept in conjunction with the tuning firm UK Garage. You may recall that SpadaConcept is resonsible for designing such classics as the Aston Martin DB4, Fulvia Sport Zagato, and more. Ercole Spada and his son, Paolo Spada, who is the company's new design director, drew influences from their original 1965 Alpha Romeo TZ that also featuered a fin-like rear called the "Kamm tail coda tronca" design. The new Codatronca is based on the Chevy Corvette, which might also explain the heavy Mako Shark infuence in the front end design. One thing we can't quite figure out is the digital readout on the vehicle's rear, which seems to display the car's current mph and perhaps even more info on its rump. While it might be a fun feature to rub your speed in the faces of those that get passed, we imagine police officers would also appreciate your velocity being public knowledge.

UK Garage was tasked with updating the Corvette mechanicals and has tweaked the suspension and engine. Three powerplants will be available for the Codatronca customer, including 512-hp version in the TS "Sport Tourism" model, a 513-hp version in the TSV "Fast Sport Tourism" model (that one horsepower apparently makes a big difference), and the big beast, a 700-hp version in the TSS "Super Sport Tourism" model. Performance numbers include a 3-second 0-60 run and a top speed around 208 mph. Clearly, the Spada Codatronca is no joke.

[Source: Motor Authority]