Whenever you think of Italy, the first few things that come to your mind are pasta, cars, and fashion. But once you dive a little deeper, you’re going to realize that the country also has a rich auto design house industry. Whether its Bertone, Pininfarina, Touring or Zagato or other coachbuilders and design studios, Italy has loads of them to call its own.
Stylistic influence is born from the famous Ghibli, Bora and Kashmin, and creates a new interpretation of ‘Trident’ grand touring. The Fastback body was a natural choice for underlining the sporting character of the brand. Our intention was to merge a strong character with the essential characteristics of quality, comfort and elegance, that are typical of Maserati.
Alessandro Camorali, Camal founder
One of the younger design studios in that part of the world is Camal Studio. We say ‘young’ because it’s only been around for five years. But in that span Camal produced some pretty interesting concepts, including the retro-stoked Fiat 500 Marcia Corta (‘Short Gear’ in Italian). This year, Camal Studio is back to present another one of its concepts, called the Tributo. The team that worked on the project is comprised of Alessio Minchella, a freelance designer and teacher at the IED Turin school, Alessandro Camorali, Camal founder, and Paolo Garella who developed the idea behind the Tributo.
The car is based on the – original Pininfarina designed – Maserati GranTurismo, which shouldn’t come as a surprise because it imbibes everything of what constitutes a fantastic Italian GT. You’re going to notice the inspiration off the bat, too, particularly the sculptural lines, the extended wheel arches, and the aggressive front profile of the Tributo. It takes the shape of a fastback, which isn’t what you’d call the Gran Turismo, but the clean yet sophisticated way the Tributo was designed will certainly make its Italian counterpart proud.
Tributo is made in the best coachbuilding tradition, with the addition of modern days technology. Technically, the car has retained its basic features, but the choice of materials for bodywork has decreased the weight and improved performance.
Starting up front, the Tributo has a controversial fascia with new headlights and a redesigned bumper. Moving further back we can see ventilated front fenders, revised side skirts and protruding wheel arches that recall Maserati models from the 60’s and 70’s. Lastly, at the rear, there’s a fastback roof that terminates at an upright bumper which incorporates a rear diffuser and a center-mounted dual exhaust system.
According to Camal, the Tributo will also be powered by the same 4.7-liter V-8 engine that produces 443 horsepower and 376 pound-feet of torque, capable of hitting 60 mph in 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 185 mph.
The car is currently under development. It is not 100% certain if the model will remain a one-off prototype or several examples will be built. Camal Studio says that “the Tributo is created either as a one-off, or in a limited run. Several options for enhancement engine are available to suit client requirements”. As in most cases, everything depends on interest and, of course, money.
Come into the wonderful world of Camal Studio.
Yakymour Men 