Hello, welcome to my project Alfa Romeo C8-R Tazio.
I always been a fan of Alfa Romeo brand and its amazing emotional cars, created over last century.
This year the brand celebrates 110 anniversary. And I decided to create something truly special to celebrate this date.
The project have been in my head for a while. But I never had time to really focus on it because of my work, till December 2019 when I got some free time. This project actually started couple of years ago with some doodles as tribute to a classic Disco Volante, back then I draw its modern reinterpretation. Disco is a super strong character, always was inspiration for me. Great proportions and simple yet dramatic theme..Wrapped around low shoulder line with a lot of sculpture, and masculine fenders. It was a race car, designed to perform.
I clearly wanted to make a performance oriented street legal car, that could compete in FIA WEC Hypercar class. A very fast car for the track, functional yet emotional. For the class to make a front engine performance car didn’t feel like a right recipe at all. This package is very limiting not only weight distribution but also airflow and overall performance. So i decided to switch to mid engine configuration instead.
I started to package the car around extreme driver seating position „foot up“, inspired by formula1. To empty as much as possible space for the air I had to sit Driver and passenger extremely low and tight to each other, to make the cabin as tight and narrow as possible.
Naturally aspirated v12 engine fibre directly connected to the monocoque. Engine and sequential gearbox were the structural element of the chassis. This packaging allows to reduce overall weight and empty space for large diffusor, that could generates enough amount of downforce to keep the car on the track.
So packaging those elements in a right manner gave me perfect proportions for the styling phase.
It became clear, that package that I had created is so much different to Disco Volante layout, so I had to find another name for it. Alfa Romeo C8-R Tazio. Named after legendary racing driver Tazio Nuvolari, a hero, who wrote Alfa Romeo motor racing history. That name gave my project a different dimension, since there was no heritage pressure on my shoulders anymore.
Never the less I thought I can transform some good elements from my Disco design study into Tazio. For example low shoulder theme, cabin structure with wrapped around windshield, and some details for the rear end.
The package required the front end to translate maximum amount of clean air into diffusor and cooling radiators.
It was a big challenge to create open front end and still keep traditional Alfa Romeo elements in place. Iconic Alfa Romeo grill became more functional, not only guides the air into underbody, but also structurally holds front wing.
Side elements of the grill disconnect from the monocoque for the same purpose, to translate maximum amount of air through the front. This together with iconic 3 dots headlight signature allowed me to create new interpretation of the whole Alfa Romeo front end identity. Design it more unique and aggressive.
Low belt line continues from the grill all the way along the bodyside and wrapped around the rear end. This powerful line splits organic simple top shell with a cabin from functional underbody and aero elements.
At the rear quadrifoglio inspired tail lights sits very narrow, remind of some classic Alfas, this trick emphasise overall stance of the car, and I really like this feeling. Exposed akrapovic titanium exhaust is like a cherry on top, inspired by Formula1 free standing aerodynamic exhaust pipes looks really cool, loud and powerful.
A lot of downforce generated by fragmented rear wing. Middle section of it designed to work as the air brake.
Very tight, very light, very loud, very technical, very Alfa.
Hope you enjoy the project!
