Tuesday 21st April 2009

Bertone Unveils Mantide Concept

New ZR1 'Vette based coupe in video expose

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In case you weren’t lucky enough to be at the Shanghai motor show yesterday, you will have missed the unveiling of famed Italian coachbuilder Bertone’s latest supercar project, the Mantide. But never fear, a video detailing the production stages of the unusually-proportioned coupe has been released.

Based on the Corvette ZR1, the Mantide gets a lightweight carbon fibre body to help shave 100kgs off the 'Vette's kerb weight and increase the car’s already potent performance.

Bertone says the car takes its inspiration from the aerospace industry and the F1 field, and claims to have produced a car with 30 per cent more downforce than the ZR1 and a lower drag coefficient of 0.298.

The Mantide won’t make production. Instead the company will use the car to showcase the company’s design skills, and will send it on a world tour where it will no doubt feature at every motor show for the foreseeable future.

Watch the video below to see the full production process of this exclusive concept.

 

[ZesPak]

Looks bonkers - therefore I like it.

But it does look like it takes a lot of styling ques from the Mazda Furia, altough this is a lot uglier.

[LooseCannon]

Oh dear. With Bertone so close to curling their toes up recently I can't help thinking this could be an unhelpful nail in the coffin. Hardly a showcase for talent.

[CypherP]

I think different is the word... Either that or fugly.

I cant make my mind up.

[rascal102]

If they painted it green it would look like Orville the duck. Its even got a big hole up its backside for Keith Harris to stick his arm

[Chris71]

Looks strangely familiar.

[richie_mck]

well there you go.... batmans car comes in red now!!! and with a zr1 as a basis it'll go like s**t of a shovel

[Belfast Boy]

countach arches, Mazda styling cues Masser GT Wheels , yet strangly I kinda like it...... But I bet they aint sorted out the rear suspension?

[BBS-LM]

hahahahahahahahahahahaha, that is just wrong. So let me get this right Sir, you want the car to look like a Wacky Racer.

Edited by BBS-LM on Tuesday 21st April 13:00

Edited by BBS-LM on Tuesday 21st April 14:22

[Beefmeister]

Pop-socks, Wham, Neon and Coke - yes folks - we're in the 80's!!!!!

W. T. F.

It looks like the kind of tat that they chucked out in the 80's of a 'future car'.

2/10, must try harder.

[cvegas]

Looks fabulous in the pics and on the video. Can't wait to see it for real. Someone should start producing it!

[Justayellowbadge]

Seems as if they were going for a reinterpretation of the BAT cars.

[KimZ]

rascal102 said:

If they painted it green it would look like Orville the duck. Its even got a big hole up its backside for Keith Harris to stick his arm

ROFL!! Too right - fugly imo. Like a crash between TVR, mondeo, veyron, smart and Orville...

Edited by KimZ on Tuesday 21st April 13:15

[stephen300o]

Looks very Akira, great!

[benny.c]

Looks like Leepu grafted the front of a Evo backwards on an 80's Corvette

[tstain]

[zagato]

If you can look past the slick renderings and urban video, I think it's clear they omitted the initial design stage - a ten year old boy doodling Transformers inside his school book.

My poor eyes

[CALCO]

The front kinda resembles Orvil the duck's beak...

[jbcalvin]

that's just ugly....how many different lines are on the front end alone....

[richie_mck]

jbcalvin said:

that's just ugly....how many different lines are on the front end alone....

several!

[BBS-LM]

So this is the Project M car. I was so hoping it would not turn out like this. Well, kiss the new company good by then?