Text by Jeff Glenn, Photos courtesy Spadaconcept SpA.
In Italy, the sincerest form of automotive flattery isn't imitation-it's wrapping the chassis and running gear of a great car with a wild designer body. And Spadaconcept, the Torinese startup fronted by legen dary stylist Ercole Spada, has identified the current Z06 as the perfect starting point for its first turnkey supercar, the Codatronca.
While the result looks like Darth Vader's daily commuter, the codatronca ("truncated-tail") concept and Ercole Spada's signature are steeped in sports/GT history. Think back to the late-'50s/early-'60s, when Italy's carrozzeria were draping sexy new one-off bodies over Ferraris, Astons, Maseratis, and ev en Corv ettes every day. That was the environment in which young Spada began his career, in quick succession penning a series of sensuous shapes that are still seen as technical and aesthetic milestones: The Aston-Martin DB4GT Zagato, Alfa Romeo SZ, and Alfa's TZ1/TZ2 racecars. All these seminal Spada shapes featured low noses, small frontal areas, and long fastback greenhouses to help cheat the wind on the racetrack. Later, and more familiar, Spada designs in clude the BMW E32 (1986-1994 7-Series) and E34 (1987-1996 5-series).
In the '90s the stylist set up a new firm, Spada Concepts and Design, in Turin and was joined by son Paolo, a designer formerly with Smart and Honda. It was Paolo who orchestrated the most recent re-organization, forming Spadaconcept last year with the addition of Domiziano Boschi (in charge of international management) and Wojtek Sokolowski (a third design hand). Of the four, it's still Er cole who sets the sweeping directives and guides the aesthetic direction.
The ethos of previous Spada codatronca designs carries through in the new Z06-based Corvette Codatronca. Paolo Spada: "It was quite natural for us to do a new interpretation of the 'truncated tail' because Ercole in vented the form for Alfa Romeo. We want to establish that our Spadaconcept brand stands for lightness, aerodynamic form, and simple, uncluttered interiors derived from racing," three critical elements of the initial codatronca cars of the '60s.
The result is a dead-serious supercar with bodywork radical enough to instantly polarize public opinion-just as the now-classic As ton GTZ, TZ1, and TZ2 did in their own day. The Corvette-based machine's shape blends the long roofline and chopped profile of those earlier cars with classic Corvette themes (especially at the front) and an almost military sense of aggressive technology. Love it or hate it, heads will follow this car as it passes.
Catching up to the black superexotic could be another matter. Spadaconcept has partnered with Italtecnica-vets of Paris-Dakar, Ferrari Challenge, endurance racing, and Ma serati Challenge-for the production version's me chanicals and assembly. Italtecnica adds twin intercooled Rotrex centrifugal blowers to the LS7, boosting power to 700 bhp; the Tremec T56 gearbox now sports lower, closer ratios on fifth and sixth; and the final-drive ratio has been numerically raised to give even better acceleration. The suspension gets all-new, fully adjustable coil overs that work in conjunction with transverse leaves and ad justable Heim-jointed antiroll bars. The big Z06 brakes remain unchanged behind new 20-inch wheels. Adding to the potency of the twin-supercharged package the Corvette Codatronca is about 100 pounds lighter than a stock Corvette Z06, promising sub-three-second bursts to 60.
Surprising in light of that weight, the body is constructed of vacuum-formed fiberglass. "Carbon fiber would have cost four times as much," of fers the younger Spada.
"Turin is like a big supermarket for the auto industry. You can do aluminum pieces here, fiberglass there, and mechanicals elsewhere, all because of the industry that's been built up around Fiat Group." After one local vendor proved its ability to deliver high-quality, superlight GRP at a fraction the cost of carbon, Spadaconcept jumped on the material for the Corvette project-not only were the price and performance appealing, but glass had an obvious historic connection.
Initially, the updated Codatronca's design and chassis-selection processes ran in parallel. Then, after the choice of the light-alloy Z06 platform was finalized, the external look be gan to take shape around Corvette hardware and history. "The Corvette is mechanically one of the best cars out there now, and on top of that it's not a unibody design. Since it has a separate frame, you can just take off the original body and do your own design on top of the fantastic chassis." Not that it's really that simple in practice-for one thing, Spadaconcept and Italtecnica will have to purchase and strip brand-new, complete Corvettes to get at the guts underneath. Chevrolet's desire to sell rolling chassis to external carmakers has never been strong, least of all with a hot-selling model like the current Z06.
Originally the Italians planned to offer the car in two versions-a 600-horse single-supercharged TS (Turismo Sportivo) and the twin-supercharged TSV (Turismo Sportivo Veloce). Since then, the upcoming 600- to 650-horse Corvette SS has convinced the team to skip the TS version and concentrate on the full-ticket supercar.
The finalized, roadgoing Corvette Codatronca has yet to be seen. Spadaconcept 's goal is to launch the car at the track, demonstrating its historic roots and the stellar performance of a Z06 with more power and even less weight. "I hope the weather is still good here in November-at that point we hope to have the car on track and announce the dates for production." One of the first examples will of course be shipped to the US for publicity, as the Corvette connection makes the American market an obvious outlet for Spada concept. "This is a kind of James Dean car," Paolo concludes, "one that can be driven in a white T-shirt. It's about the pure pleasure of driving and knowing the story behind the design, and it's about proving you don't need a Ferrari to catch people's eye."
I'm not sure how many T-shirt-wearing speed freaks are able to part with a quarter-million Euros-about US$300,000, roughly the price of a Ferrari 599 or Callaway Speedster. But given the history, Z06 mechanicals, and radical looks of the reborn Codatronca, it's hopefully more than a few.
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SPADACONCEPT CODATRONCA - Anakin Skywalker, your corvette is ready...
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