Pininfarina Abarth Scorpione 2000: It Looked Like Rocket Science

Giorgetto Giugiaro of Ital Design* was the original proponent, and widely considered a master, of the wedge form for cars.  His Maserati Boomerang from the early 70s (featured in our 9-7-15 essay "One of One: A Brief History of Unique Cars") was a pure expression of the tapered, unified form the French call "monospace."  But one of the most persuasive uses of the wedge theme appeared in 1969 from the older and usually more conservative design house of Pininfarina.  This was the Abarth 2000 Scorpione show car.

Unlike the Boomerang, or Marcello Gandini's Alfa Romeo Carabo for Bertone, the PF Scorpione was not a monospace or a single sculptural form.  Instead, the separate forms of the front fenders, glass canopy roof, and the louvered rear engine hood were integrated into a unified composition with a wedge profile.  At the front, the sharp slope of the fenders matches that of the hood, which is edged with a band of retractable rectangular lighting units.  The windshield slope matches that of the hood, but a subtle break is introduced into this plane for the big single wiper, and this scooped-out surface continues around the rear of the front fenders to form a wide ledge at the window sill. Just aft of the cabin, the leading edge of the engine hood projects beyond the sides of the inward-sloping glass canopy in a master stroke of visual form serving mechanical function: in this case, engine air intakes.  That engine is articulated as a distinct element, as is the Abarth free-flow exhaust system.  The latter item provided good publicity for Abarth's high-volume accessory business, with the added benefit of making the Scorpione look like some kind of rocket car...

Pininfarina built only one Abarth Scorpione, and it was based on Abarth's 2000 SE sports racer. And though mid-engined race cars had taken over the tracks by 1969 (the year this car appeared), and mid-engined show cars were a popular draw at auto shows, the Scorpione mounts its engine at the rear, in the traditional (for Abarth) position. This makes it more visible as a design element. The upward-pivoting entry canopy recalls jet fighter practice (as well as a couple of earlier show cars; see "Getting Over the Corvair: Part 2" from 3-18-16). While the lift-up canopy design was no more practical here than it was on the Corvair Testudo or Monza GT, it did reinforce the Space Age visual theme that runs through all the other details: rocket science for the road.

*Footnote:  Giugiaro had earlier laid the foundations for the wedge movement while at Ghia.

And Filippo Sapino, who designed this car for Pininfarina, also spent some creative time at Ghia.

Photo credits:
Top:  Pininfarina Studios
Middle:  Pininfarina Studios, featured at autoevolution.com

Bottom:  autoconcept-reviews.com