One of the most striking cars on display at this year's Tokyo Motor Show was also among the most difficult to find, tucked well away from the major Japanese and import automakers' stands. The Ferrari GG50 concept car brings together two of the Italian auto industry's best-known names in a rare, but well-received collaboration. Based on the 612 Scaglietti, the two-door show vehicle is the work of legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro, and designed to mark the 50th anniversary of his Turin design house, ItalDesign. The GG50 prototype is just a little shorter than the production 612, with a fastback tail that conceals the hatchback's lid. The show car's rear seats have been modified to fold down, creating a large, flat cargo compartment - a serious shortfall in the actual Scaglietti. Giugiaro's design retains the big V-12. ItalDesign did make some other interior changes, intended to improve ergonomics. The exercise was sanctioned by Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo, though no production plans are in place, according to officials from both companies.
Tokyo's Simulated Enthusiasm
2005 Tokyo Show gamers |
Concept cars, those fantasies in chrome, have traditionally been the big draw at the Tokyo Motor Show. But it's hard to match the imagination of digital designers, and these days, the biennial show draws a large crowd to its virtual fantasy booths. All along the wide mezzanine, crowds jostle for time at the various racing and rally video game centers, with their like-real controllers and oversize displays. Why not, in a city where dense traffic makes it hard to drive at more than a crawl, even in a Ferrari or Lamborghini. "I'm amazed at how well we do in this country, considering there's really no place to drive our cars the way they're designed," gaped the CEO of a European supercar maker. "Maybe this is the only way they'll really ever experience what it's like."
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