It’s been a while since we did one of these, and while today’s candidate might appear a little tenuous at first sight, look beyond the scudetto and there are chevrons galore.
First shown at the 1983 Geneva motor show, the Delfino was an attempt by carrozzeria Bertone to update the classical luxury gran turismo after almost a decade of decline. Alfa Romeo’s relationship with Bertone was long-standing, but had entered a prolonged period of stasis, with Portello forging a closer relationship with Ital Design when they were not following the muse of their own centro stile under Ermanno Cressoni.
Based on the mechanicals of the range-topping Alfa Six model, and utilising its 2.5 litre V6 power unit, the Delfino was a proposal for a modern luxury GT of the kind the mainstream Italian industry was rapidly shying away from, with Lancia’s troubled and declining Gamma Coupe being the main flagbearer for the format. Bertone described it as ‘Love at first sight’. “A complex of indescribable but exciting sensations. An up to date line, harmonious but restrained. Comfortable seating for two – generous luggage space – generously sized wheels – perfect aerodynamic profile, for silent driving. A clever blending of glass and steel.” And so on.
Styled under the supervision of Marc Deschamps, the successor to Marcello Gandini at Bertone following the latter’s abrupt departure, the car’s design illustrates the classic carrozzeria white canvas. Very much a Bertone first and an Alfa second (or maybe even third), it contains most of the house styling tropes of the time with what amounts to a token, if rather generously proportioned scudetto as a token gesture towards its intended client.
But while it’s pure ’80s Bertone in its wholesale adoption of horizontal lines and graphics, there is a third party to this design. The previous year, the Gandini-attributed Citroën BX was announced and with Bertone involved in proposals for the forthcoming full-sized Citroën model (1989’s XM) there is a good deal of similar thinking on display here, in surface, skin and graphics.
This Bertone / Citroën influence is apparent in the wheelarch shapes, the treatment of the canopy, which contains echoes of the later XM (although some may disagree) and even the style of the roadwheels, which appear similar to those fitted to certain BX models. In fact, substitute a more Citroënesque nose treatment and give it a glassback and you’d potentially have what amounts to a contemporary take on the SM.
The interior was pure mid-80’s conceptual fare, with Vélizy-inspired control pods grouped around the steering wheel but the most fascinating aspect of the proposed instrument panel is how conceptually similar it looks to what you can choose to purchase from your Mercedes-Benz dealership today.
Of course, we know that Deschamps, following his Bertone period (and authorship of the XM) went on to an interesting solo career, one which may indeed have inadvertently (or otherwise) been a good deal more influential than hitherto imagined. The Delfino however wasn’t the answer for Alfa Romeo in 1983, partially because they were in no position to do anything as ambitious (or expensive) and because Biscione apart, there really was so little here for them to work with.
More cars that could have been Citroëns
More on Marc Deschamps
Bertone quote: La Belle Auto
Driven To Write 
Thanks for digging that up. The dashboard concept deserves re-examination. It’s different and plausible. Today’s are so bulky and massive yet burdened with slices and inlays to hide the bulk.
i love that dashboard, but i guess you can’t hide a lot of stuff inside of it, making it unappealing to modern car engineers.
i can see some subaru SVX in this car when i squint hard enough.
I’ve hade the idea for many years now to write a counter factual piece on a possible Lancia/Citroen/Maserati tie-up, we’ll see if I will ever get it done. In that scenario, the Lamborghini Bravo concept became the Bora/Merak successor, the Quattroporte III never came to be, and instead of the Biturbo Maserati continued to make large Gran Turismos like before. I gave them this car, the Delfino, and the Ferrari Pinin as the new Quattroporte, to be built off the same platform. If you think about it, it makes sense. The only difference in proportion is the longer wheelbase of the four door car. And both cars could be had with both the biturbo V6 and the larger V8.
We have a slot waiting for that
very article whenever it’s ready.
It would make a good read!
Certainly! I had already thought about that and was hoping you’d be interested. The logic behind it is mostly done, but my problem has always been getting things actually done, like actually writing the stuff. When I got something I will get back at ya…
Ingvar: the best thing to do with the writing is to block out the contents and then expand each block. Also, try not to write everything. Set yourself a 700 word goal which means you won´t end up editing, say, 1500 words. This is rich advice coming from the guy who can´t keep to a 500 word limit (my notional word count).
This could have been a very nice XM coupe…
Put another way, it’s got some features that presage the XM.
The nose-cone concept is in there as are the wheel arches and, subtly, the residual boot volume.
Do many designers have one basic idea that they work on over several cars? It looks like that sometimes.
I think so. Gandini certainly did with the Carabo and Countach.
By the way: the glazing on this car is highly original and not silly. This is a very good and oddly overlooked concept car. I am glad it was brought to my attention.