Aug 19, 2005 – Demonstrating the development of new concepts for Alfa Romeo and Ducati, the Automobile Museum of Turin, Italy, has been hosting an exhibition entitled 'Italian Sportivity: The New Generation'. The work was produced by Transport Design students from Turin's Institute of Applied Arts and Design (IAAD).

Working with designers from both companies, IAAD students were given a pair of options to chose from: two wheels or four; Ducati or Alfa Romeo. Ducati offered the opportunity to tackle the Monster, the marque's 'naked' motorcycle, and follow one of two paths: conservative restyling or to consider a more futuristic version.

Alternatively, Alfa Romeo obliged Orwell's 'four wheels good, two wheels bad' [sic] mantra, contending Ducati's brief with the task of creating a new coupe for the B-segment instead. The brief asked for modern reinterpretations of past Alfa Romeos: sixties swinger, the GT Junior, and the 8C from the thirties. Students collaborated with modellers from Ergomodel for the quadrupeds and Modelclay for the bipeds, who produced impressive models at 1:4 and 1:1 scales respectively. Most proposals followed the 'conservative restyling' route. The motorbike models were accompanied by large illustrations that added to the impact of the presentations. The bikes remained true to the original Monster, exposing their guts and bones, while the cars displayed new graphics around familiar proportions, and avoided carrying any excess nostalgic baggage.

Mario Perna Marco Rotundo Axel Dichamp Daniel Pigino

The maturity of the presentations demonstrates the benefits of students stepping outside a college to more closely work with industry.

The project follows on from work shown last year in the same venue, also sponsored by Alfa Romeo's parents, the FIAT Group. The name FIAT represents Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, explaining the healthy relationship enjoyed by IAAD's faculty. Their Transport Design course lasts three years, with this annual show marking its culmination. 'Italian Sportivity: The Next Generation' runs until 7 September at Turin's Automobile Museum.

Institute of Applied Arts and Design Turin website: www.iaad.it