Alfa Romeo Gloria Concept teased for Geneva

Providing an early look at what we can only hope ultimately morphs into an actual production model, the first image of the Alfa Romeo Gloria Concept has been released prior to its official coming out party next month at the Geneva Auto Show. While the automaker provided only a handful of technical details, it did note that the Gloria was a collaborative effort between Alfa Romeo Style and the European Design Institute (IED) in Turin. The creative undertaking drew input from 20 students in the school’s Master in Transportation Design program in 2011-2012 using an Alfa brief calling for a vehicle that would have international appeal, particularly to the American and Asian markets.

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“We asked the students in the Master programme to give us their completely independent interpretation of a new Alfa Romeo saloon,” noted Lorenzo Ramaciotti, Head of Fiat & Chrysler Design. “During development, we commented, discussed and guided the projects in order to get the most from their spontaneous expressions of creativity. The result was stimulating and marked by professional and creative excellence.”

Wrapped in stunningly elegant yet sporty bodywork, the Alfa Romeo Gloria Concept sets off its sculpted lines with numerous tasteful details, including distinctive LED headlamp/taillamp treatments and leather hood accents that recall the baggage straps found on classic early Alfa models. The Gloria Concept is 185.0 inches long, 75.6 inches wide, 52-inches high and has a 114.2-inch wheelbase. It rides on 20-inch alloy wheels provided by project partner OZ Racing. As for motivation, a production version of the Gloria Concept would be fitted with either a state-of-the-art V6 or V8 biturbo engine.

The Gloria Concept will offer what Alfa has dubbed an “augmented reality” experience when presented in Geneva. It will be reproduced in a virtual environment on an iPad app that will allow attendees to view it in five alternative body colors as well as fit it with five different OZ Racing rim designs. The latter components also were created as part of a teaching project done in collaboration with the noted Italian wheel-maker.