1976 Alfa Romeo Navajo (Bertone)

The final 33 Stradale-based dream car was Bertone’s Navajo that debuted in March 1976 at the Geneva Salon. Looking like something straight out of a Buck Rogers movie, the Navajo undeniably captured visitors attention but served as a useful illustration of how designers had lost their way by the mid seventies. With little scope for truly radical innovation from a stylistic point of view, they had begun turning supercar concepts into bloated overweight caricatures that appeared best suited to roles in science fiction films.

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The Navajo symbolised the new accord between the Turin bodywork designer and Alfa Romeo, a partnership which over the years had turned out many world famous cars. Names like the Giulietta Sprint, Canguro, Giulia GT, Carabo and Montreal evoke fundamental steps in the evolution of the sports car.

Despite its intentional design excesses, the Navajo represents a concrete idea for a sporty coupé based on the prestigious mechanics of the Alfa 33. The original tubular chassis was lengthened and adapted to create optimum room for two passengers. The bodywork, entirely in fibreglass, together with the chassis, gives an excellent result in terms of weight. Given the availability of generously powerful engines, the Bertone designers focussed their attention on the aerodynamic questions related to road holding, as well as thinking of pure speed. The Navajo benefits from this approach both in general design terms, and as far as accessories are concerned. The frontal view is extremely tapered, reducing air resistance to a minimum, and to this end, the car also features a brand new and very original front spoiler, which automatically regulates the angle with the ground according to the speed of the vehicle. The rear wings, aside from providing an interesting aesthetic motif, represent a valid support for the generous rear spoiler, which is also adjustable. The disappearing headlamps open horizontally to the plane of the car.

Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1976, the Navajo captured the attention of public and experts alike: the avant-garde solutions on show were yet another demonstration of the designer’s unique style, constantly experimenting and ahead of its time.

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In 1976, Concorde embarked on its maiden flight and Cray launched the supercomputer. But science fiction was becoming reality in Italy, too, as Bertone unveiled the second of its Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale-based concepts: the Navajo…

Making its debut at the 1976 Geneva Motor Show, the Navajo became the last in a series of concepts based on the competition-derived Alfa chassis, which included Italdesign’s Iguana, Bertone’s Carabo, and a trio from Pininfarina. By this time, the 33 Stradale was all but obsolete – but Nuccio Bertone’s penmanship gave the Navajo a body that pre-empted both the character and colour of the Colonial Vipers from 1978 sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica.

Method in the maths

Taking the wedge profile in vogue earlier that decade, Nuccio applied the latest aerodynamic principles. Active spoilers complemented the tapered body; both the front splitter and the top section of the rear wing would adjust automatically according to speed. The latter incorporated an isosceles trapezium when viewed from the side – a feature ‘borrowed’ from Giugiaro’s Alfa Romeo Caimano concept of 1971. But Nuccio developed the use of this shape, the inner of the Navajo’s two rear trapezoids being used to draw hot air away from the 2.0-litre V8 mounted behind the passengers.

Design trendsetter

The pop-up headlights becoming trendy at the time could be found at the front – but, being a design trendsetter in his own right, Nuccio had them emerge laterally from the front wings. Further flourishes could be found inside, where a ‘floating’ centre console intersected the pair of fixed glassfibre seats. Comfortable it wasn’t, but innovative it was – hence the reason it can hold its own stylistically alongside its most famous industrial contemporaries, and sci-fi’s finest.

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Эту машину будто специально готовили для съемок какого-нибудь голливудского блокбастера про мрачное будущее на Марсе. На самом деле ребята из Bertone при работе над Navajo просто практиковались в аэродинамике.

Высота – всего метр! Фары – потайные, расположенные в передних крыльях. В носовой части автомобиля дизайнеры сделали минимум стыков и кузовных панелей ради лучшей аэродинамики. Передний спойлер был сделан из податливого материала, который на высоких скоростях изгибался таким образом, чтобы обеспечивать лучшую прижимную силу – сегодня подобным техническим решением хвастается Ferrari, рекламируя модель 458 Italia.

В основе концепта – «растянутое» шасси от Tipo 33. Двухлитровый мотор V8, развивающий 245 лошадиных сил и 183 Нм, – от нее же. Масса, за счет широкого применения стеклопластика – всего 800 килограммов.

Влад Клепач - motor.ru