I.D.E.A. ERA Roadster

New concept will be at Geneva

By Chris Rosamond / Thursday, 26 February 2009 / Loading comments

Italian design house I.D.E.A. is hoping to reassert its credentials with a new ERA roadster concept that will be revealed at Geneva.

The new model is said to be an evolved version of the ERA roadster that was revealed to mark I.D.E.A.’s 30^th anniversary in May last year. At Geneva the car will sport a more heavily sculpted side profile, scissor-type doors and a tubular frame chassis apparently intended to promote the firm’s design and engineering capability.

Last year’s car was a door-less ‘barchetta’ design, conceived, rendered and produced in a 30 day design and construction blitz that was instigated to show-off I.D.E.A.’s skills for the benefit of automotive industry clients. At that time the car had no drivetrain, and we’re not yet sure whether the Geneva show car will be a runner or not – although the original ERA concept was designed to be easily adapted for a number of powertrain configurations.

‘This prototype is only the first of a series of models we are working on to reassert our own line of design,’ says Lardin Peter, president of I.DE.A Institute.