Father-and-son Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro have executed the "mid-engine exotic" brief dozens of times, with often memorable results: BMW M1, Lotus Esprit, Lamborghini Gallardo, and Maserati Bora and Merak, to name a few concepts that made it into production. Others were design studies intended to stir and advance automotive thinking, if not necessarily reach the marketplace. Giorgetto founded Italdesign in 1968, and one of its first efforts was the Bizzarrini Manta. It was fresh and daring, with its wheels pushed hard to the corners, three-across seating, and abundant glass area. Today's Quaranta boasts these same design attributes and is fresh and daring. There are big differences in the power department, however. While the Quaranta explores the notion of a green, hybrid-powered exotic with AWD, the Manta goes old school, packing a Weber-carbed Small-Block Chevy V-8. Happy 40th, Giugiaros, and keep up the good -- and occasionally outrageous -- work.
Coverage October 1978
Looking back, the cover lines for the MT issue minted 30 years ago should've been "Going, Going, Gone." GM rolled its three personal luxury-coupe nameplates -- Eldorado, Riviera, and Toronado -- onto a new, smarter-size FWD platform replacing the previous barges. They sold well for a while, but one by one fell from grace, only to be put out to pasture. Other goners from the day? Pontiac Firebird, the Plymouth division of Chrysler, and all of American Motors.