60 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 2 1 AUGUST 2019
It takes 10 seconds to sketch the Alfa
Romeo Tonale. That’s according
to Alfa Romeo design boss Scott
K r u gge r, w ho r e c k on s t h i s f a c t i s a
“ b e aut i f u l t e s t a me nt ” t o it s de si g n
strength, and to one of a pair of
unusual processes that helped create
it. Drawing the essence of this car
in only 10 seconds might sound a
l it t le d i s app oi nt i n g. It ’s a s i f t he r e ’s
nothing to the car, its lines simple
almost to the point of crudity. But no.
The ability to sketch it this fast – if
you’re a highly competent sketcher,
that is – stems from the fact that
it carries a few strong lines that
capture the character of a visually
distinctive car.
Pa r t of t he Ton a le de si g n pr o c e s s
involved examining some of Alfa’s
legendary back catalogue, says
Krugger, and understanding the
strongest elements of particular
models: “You look at a car for 10
seconds, then close your eyes and
sketch. That’s why we drew these
old cars from memory.” And that’s
precisely how the Tonale’s chief
exterior designer, Alexandros Liokis,
sourced some of his inspiration for
this concept, which should appear in
production form after the middle
of next year.
His inspiration boards include not
only evolving renditions of the Tonale
SIDE VIEW
“The challenge,”
says designer Alexandros
Liokis, “is to make it clean
and balance it well. There are
just three lines on the side.
They need to be in perfect
harmony. The upper
line mustn’t sag.”
but also pleasingly crisp sketches of
Alfas past, among them Giorgetto
Giugiaro’s 1963 Giulia GT coupé,
designed while he was at Bertone,
aged 21. Other Alfas inf luenced
Liokis, but the Giulia GT is the chief
source and, in particular, the gently
a r c h i n g l i ne t h at r u n s f r om t he
front wing through to its tail. “The
simplicity and structure of this car
are the key elements,” says Liokis
whose daily driver, incidentally, is
a 1983 Giulietta.
So how close is this concept to the
C-segment SUV that the late FCA
boss Sergio Marchionne promised
last year? Krugger says: “We are
ne a r t h i s c a r. T h i s i s ou r goa l. S ome
elements are conceptual, such as
the lights and the mirrors. But we’ll
try not to lose the sculpture.” FCA’s
European design boss, Klaus Busse,
adds that the Tonale was realised
not digitally, nor by clay modelling,but through the medium of plaster
- an old technique once widely
favoured by Italian coachbuilders.
Busse has hired the 75-year-old
plaster modeller who developed the
Lamborghini Countach and Lancia
Stratos, two of the most dramatic
supercars of the 1970s.
“The eye is 50% of the work, and
t ouc h , t o o,” s ay s Bu s s e. “S c u lp t u r e
is very important. The translation
of the sketch and how you blend
the ingredients can only be done by
hand.” Krugger talks of purity, too,
SCUDETTO
Designers call the
Alfa nose the scudetto.
The distinctive shield grilleand the horizontal intakes that
flank it are a confection that
FCA’s Klaus Busse says “we
will defend. Our rivals are
not using it because it’s
Alfa Romeo Tonale too Alfa.”Bremner^ quizzes^
Krugger^ (left)^
and^ Busse^ (right)