Geneva Coverage

ItalDesign Giugiaro: Aston Martin 2020

The 2020 is ItalDesign's interpretation of a typical Aston Martin to be available in a round two decades from now. The concept concentrates on how the method of construction can and will be tied in with the aesthetics of the vehicle. The car is comprised of an extruded aluminium structure with carbon-fibre body panels bolted on.

Giorgetto Giugiaro describes the 2020 as “a homage to the car as a complex and rigorous engineering object” .

Aston Martin gave its permission to Giugiaro to undertake this project, targeted at hypothesising the spider of the twenty twenties.
This is a top range 2+2 spider, convertible into a “targa” version, which follows the experience of the Capsula (1982) and the Stuctura (1998). The load-bearing structures over the floor bed are visible and characterise the model's architecture.



It is unusual for concepts to reach as far forward as twenty years. This is often because major manufacturers are primarily concerned with generating discussion and interest in their more immediate product developments. ItalDesign have been quite accurate in their predictions for the future; particularly in anticipating on-board computers and visual displays. However, given that this vehicle is intended to be an insight into cars of the Twenty-twenties, some elements seem fairly conservative. For example - the lights may not need to anything like as large in size in the future; tyres will be very different due to increasing problems with the disposal of current types; wing mirrors and door handles will probably be superseded by electronic alternatives.

The 2020 is an interesting concept but perhaps the thinking behind it was not as abstract as the design required. Further investigation of cutting edge technologies might have created an entirely different aesthetic for the vehicle.