Nineties Concept Cars Part 5: Lamborghini Raptor and Lagonda Vignale

The 1997 Pebble Beach Concours featured an outdoor museum of concept cars, both old and then-new, on the upper lawn.  These included Zagato's Lamborghini Raptor in the foreground below, the Pontiac Ghost Car with transparent plexiglass body from the 1939 World's Fair, and in the distant background, Bertone's Corvair Testudo* from 1962.  The Raptor, essentially a lightweight version of Lambo's all-wheel drive Diablo chassis, combined wraparound glazing with Zagato's signature double-bubble roof contours.  The periscope air intake for the mid-mounted V12 is lodged in the trough between the bubbles...

The photo below shows the Raptor's odd up-and-over wraparound rear window, as well as that center air intake.  In order to save weight compared with the "standard" Diablo, the Zagato team deleted the anti-lock braking system as well as the traction control, and deployed carbon fiber in the bodywork.  

Partnering with Alain Wicki, Zagato endeavored to make a production-ready prototype, in the hope that it would be adopted as Lamborghini's successor to the Diablo.  Perhaps for that reason, the designers loaded the car with ideas that sometimes seemed to compete with each other.  For example, that twin-hump roof was part of the canopy that lifted in a single unit (oddly like Bertone's Testudo) to provide access to the cockpit...

...and then the bubbled portion could be removed to create a an open roadster with fixed windows surrounding the occupants, as shown below.  It's not clear whether the fighter plane style canopy would have met safety standards in the Eurozone or Lamborghini's export markets.

As it turned out, the car's fresh, distinctive form failed to convince Lamborghini to adopt it as their next production car.  This was possibly due to practicality issues, though the previous success of the Miura and then the Countach would seem to indicate that Lamborghini's customers were not obsessed with practicality.  In the coming years, Aston Martin would turn out to be more easily persuaded by Zagato's ideas, and Italian ideas in general...

For a brief time in the mid to late Nineties, it looked like Aston Martin was all set to produce a Vignale concept to replace their aging, very angular Lagonda sedan.  The decidedly non-angular prototype can be glimpsed above, opened up to reveal a sumptuously detailed interior, and got as much attention from show goers as any of the supercars on display.

A good look at the design, one of two built by Ghia (like Vignale, then owned by Ford) to Moray Callum's 1993 design, shows why.  The form avoids straight lines or flat planes, using rounded, subtle contours to create visual interest. The way the front fender surface is extended to fade into the rear door is especially deft.  While Callum and Vignale aimed this production prototype at Aston Martin Lagonda (also owned by Ford back then), the first two prototypes were built on Lincoln Town Car chassis, and powered by Ford's 4.6 liter SOHC V8.

The smoothly tapered rear integrates the tail lights in to the shut line for the deck lid, and carries more than a hint of 1950s Jaguar flavor…Jaguar was also owned by Ford during this period. Unlike the Raptor, the VIgnale captured the attention of its target audience, and Aston Martin built a third prototype at Newport Pagnell.  This car incorporated a V12 engine, and independent rear suspension. Two cars still exist; all three prototypes feature the Art Deco cocoon interior sketched out by David Wilkie.  These cars are still fresh-looking today, especially compared with many of today's designs, with their multiple computer-generated folds and creases screaming for attention. Sometimes less really is more...

*Footnote:  Giorgetto Giugiaro's design for the Corvair Testudo was featured in our post entitled "Getting Over the Corvair, Part 2" and can be found in the archives for March 18, 2016.  The Lincoln Sentinel was featured in "Nineties Concept Cars Part 4", from Jan. 17, 2019.

Photo Credits:  

Top & 2nd:  the author

3rd & 4th:  woiweb.com 

5th & 7th:  the author

6th & 8th:  Astom Martin Heritage Trust