Five wonderful wedges that came before the Cybertruck

Monday, 2 December 2019

Think the Tesla Cybertruck's startling wedge design is new? Think again - the wedge has been around the car world for a very long time.

While legendary Italian designer Marcello Gandini was the most enthusiastic fan of the wedge in the 1960s and 70s, other designers got in on the wedgy act as well. Today we take a look at the five best wedge-shaped concept cars.

Alfa Romeo Carabo

Despite being an Alfa Romeo, Marcello Gandini's first foray into the wedge at the 1968 Paris motor show set the template that all Lamborghinis would follow for decades, pioneering both the shape and the scissor doors that would make the Gandini-designed Countach a literal poster child for supercars.

* Aston Martin takes aim at Ferrari

* Aston Martin Lagonda is coming back with an all-electric luxury SUV (maybe)

* 'Phwoar', the Lamborghini Countach is 43**

Tesla's Cybertruck has a unique design for a truck, but it is a style we have seen before. About 50 years ago.

Because of its influence on the Countach, hints of the Carabo's design can also be seen in its successor, the Diablo, as well as the car that eventually spawned from Gandini's design for the Diablo that was rejected by Lamborghini - the ill-fated Cizeta-Moroder V16T of which only 20 were made, although it did re-enter production in 2006 on a 'made to order' basis for a very hefty sum of money…

Maserati Boomerang

The Boomerang was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and revealed at the 1971 Turin motor show. Giugiaro developed the design into the Maserati Bora, but rounded off most of the hard edges and dropped the wild interior and doors.

However, it was when he was asked to design the Lotus Esprit by Colin Chapman that the suggestion was made that he use the Boomerang as inspiration. Which he literally did.

The spectacular Alfa Romeo Cabaro inspired several generations of Lamborghini and was the first to use scissor doors.

Of course, the Esprit would go on to become the most famous non-Aston Bond car - the white submersible Lotus nicknamed 'Wet Nellie' - that Elon Musk now owns and has stated that it directly inspired the Cybertruck's shape. Which seems a bit harsh on poor Nellie…

Ferrari Modulo

The Modulo debuted at the 1970 Geneva motor show and was based on a Ferrari 512S racing car chassis. Designed by Pininfarina's Paulo Martin, it also featured the racing car's engine - a 410kW 5.0-litre V12 that was good for a top speed of around 350km/h and a zero to 100km/h sprint of a little over 3 seconds.

The Maserati Boomerang was the basis for the Lotus Esprit, which in turn inspired Tesla's Cybertruck.

Like the Carabo, the Modulo was not as sharply angular as later wedges, but it was (and still is) incredibly striking and won numerous design awards when it first appeared.

While Gandini's Carabo pioneered scissor doors, Martin saw no use for doors at all - the Modulo was accessed by an elaborate sliding canopy.

Aston Martin Bulldog

The Ferrari Modulo was originally black, but was later repainted in this far more suitable colour scheme.

Designed by Aston Martin's William Townes, the Bulldog was actually planned for a small-scale production run of 15 to 25 cars, but the project proved to be too costly, so was abandoned after a single prototype model was built in 1979.

The Lancia Stratos Zero is surprisingly tiny, but makes a big impact.

The Aston Martin Bulldog was supposed to be the fastest car on the planet in 1979. They never found out.

Unlike the others on this list, rather than inspire the styling of a production car, the Bulldog's styling was actually inspired by the ultimate production wedge; the Aston Martin Lagonda that debuted in 1976 and actually stayed in production until 1990.

The Bulldog was intended to go after the world's fastest car title, but that never happened. Fittingly, the Bulldog's code name during its development was DP K9.01 as a tribute to Doctor Who's angular robot dog companion K9.

Lancia Stratos Zero

Squint and you might see the extremely wedgy Stratos Zero's influence in eventual production version of the Lancia Stratos. Actually, no, you probably won't.

Debuting at the 1970 Turin motor show, the spectacular Zero is the absolute refined essence of Gandini's wedge design obsession, being so wedgy as to make the considerably wedgy production Stratos it inspired to look not terribly wedgy at all.

Despite appearances, the Stratos Zero was actually very small, being just 3.5 metres long and only 840mm high, and was powered by a 1.6-litre V4 engine from the Lancia Fulvia.

Like the Ferrari Modulo, the Zero also eschewed traditional doors, this time in favour of a massive windscreen that lifted like a bonnet to allow access.