Alfa Romeo Pandion
The Alfa Romeo Pandion is the first car designed by Mike Robinson in his new role as Design and Brand Director at Bertone.The compact sports car concept (4620 mm in length, 1971 mm wide, 1230 mm high, 2850 mm wheelbase) is powered by an Alfa Romeo 4.7L V8 making 450-hp and 346 lb-ft of torque. The doors, as in many other Bertone-designed masterpieces , open in a visually striking manner. Virtually hinged around the axis of the rear wheel, the Pandion doors open by rotating backwards, ending up a perfect 90 degrees above the center of the rear wheel, lifting up the entire body side of the vehicle, from the front fender to the rear fender.
The name comes from the animal world, as Pandion Haliaetus is the scientific name for an Osprey: a sea hawk that nests and lives in coastal areas.The typical Alfa quad headlights are buried deep in the outer-most tips of the T-shaped grille, highlighting the wide stance of the impressive coupé. Four white bars of light strike the observers’ curiosity, two position lights above and two fog lights below, creating a virtual bi-plane of light at night.
The Pandion has the profile of a true sports car, with no room for compromise. The architectural layout is ‘cab rearward’, meaning the passenger compartment is positioned towards the rear of the car and the long bonnet pushes the car’s visual centre rearward. The body side visually connects the sensuous front end with the razor-edged rear by means of an extremely long flowing side window which stretches from front wheel arch to rear, enhancing the excellent accessibility of this low-bodied sports coupé.