The Italdesign Aztec Barchetta concept was presented in 1988 at the Turin Motor Show. The four-wheel-drive, turbocharged five-cylinder two-seater was built in several examples until 1992, one of which is currently for sale through the British company Specialized Vehicle Solutions Limited .
At the same time, there was not much left, and the exclusive sports car would not have seen the light of day. It's all the fault of Japanese industrialist Myakawa , who bought all the rights after the concept was launched in Turin and commissioned MTM to prepare the car for homologation. The happy ending of all vicissitudes came in 1992, when the first pre-production Italdesign Aztec Barchetta took to the start of the Monaco Grand Prix to take a few laps of glory. Shortly thereafter, Aztec received homologation for production, but with a price tag of DM 500,000, there could be no thought of a larger series.
The legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro is responsible for the unique design. As a tool, he used a vision of the distant future, which is amply demonstrated by the fact that even after more than 24 years, the car still looks futuristic. However, it is not only about the shapes, but also about the materials used. The body is made of aluminum, Kevlar and carbon fiber, which were almost cosmic materials at the time. The interior was also not left behind, which thanks to the 1+1 concept offers the possibility of communication between passengers using an intercom. And wonder of the world – there is also a luggage compartment!
The Italdesign Aztec Barchetta is powered by a 194 kW turbocharged in-line five-cylinder engine borrowed from the legendary Audi Quattro . After all, even the word Quattro itself would find its application in the car. Both axles are driven using the system that worked so well in the immortal Lancia Delta Integrale . The question remains, what is the maximum speed of the depicted exhibit.
No one currently knows exactly how many examples were produced. Different sources give different values. The British company Specialized Vehicle Solutions Limited also does not publicly state the price for which the car is available. However, it is already clear that the exhibit on display has become one of the most exclusive collector cars that can be bought today.
Source: svs-ltd.com, Worldcarfans
