The 1968 Alfa Romeo Carabo concept car was based on the race-derived mechanicals of the exclusive 33 Stradale from the previous year, but that wasn’t its only claim to fame: it also inspired two of last century’s most iconic cars.
The Carabo project was a collaborative effort between the Italian manufacturer and the Bertone styling house: a partnership that had previously borne fruits that included the 2000 Sportiva and BAT concept cars of the mid-1950s. The basis of the Carabo was a chassis numbered 75033.109, which was, more specifically, that of a 33 Stradale road car. Despite sharing mechanicals with the Tipo 33 race car and since being recognized as one of the most beautiful cars in history, Alfa had trouble finding owners for the Stradale due to its steep asking price of around $17,000. As a result, five of the Stradale chassis were passed to Italian carrozzerie: two to Pininfarina (used for the 33.2 and Cuneo concepts), one to Italdesign (which became the Iguana concept), and two to Bertone – the other being used as a basis for the 1976 Navajo concept.
The H-shaped tubular chassis supported an all-aluminum 1995cc engine designed by Carlo Chiti and, incidentally, was the first Alfa Romeo V8. The fuel-injected, longitudinally-mounted motor used chain-driven camshafts and red-lined at 10,000rpm, despite being detuned to 230bhp from the Tipo race car’s 250-270bhp. The power was sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed, synchromesh transaxle gearbox designed by Valerio Colotti. This granted the Carabo a top speed of 160mph and the ability to dispatch the 0-62mph sprint in 5.5 seconds.
Because of its underpinnings, designer Marcelo Gandini had the opportunity to create a car that would revolutionize the automotive industry for many years afterward. The engine is mounted amidships, allowing for a pointed front end, while the ground-hugging poise inherited from the Tipo race car meant the car was under a meter tall at its highest point. Combined with the squared-off rear end, these characteristics inspired countless wedge-shaped designs of the 70s and 80s and gave the car its name and color: Carabo is derived from ‘Carabidae,’ a family of ground-beetles with a distinctive green and gold color.
The principle of the wedge-shaped profile was used to eliminate the high-speed aerodynamic lift troubles of the Lamborghini Miura, which Gandini had penned two years earlier. However, his innovative celebration didn’t stop there. As well as having headlights hidden beneath active flaps, the Carabo was the first concept car with front-hinged wing doors, later used by Gandini when designing the Lamborghini Countach and since assuming the ‘Lamborghini doors’ meme. As well as inspiring the revolutionary raging bull, the Carabo also lent styling cues to the Lancia Stratos Zero concept car, which inspired the iconic Stratos HF.
Unsurprisingly, the Carabo remained a one-off, but its revolutionary styling dramatically steered the automotive design industry onto a radically different path – one which produced some of the landmark cars of the 20th century. Even those who can’t look favorably on its apparent aversion to curved surfaces should take a second to appreciate its legacy; after all, would an Aventador have quite the same drama without its ‘Carabo doors’?
Source: Joe Breeze - www.classicdriver.com
Images: ClassicDriver.com, Motor1.com
