Italdesign Touareg

The Italdesign Touareg is a stripped-down off-road concept shown by Italdesign in 2000, inspired by a trip to the Libyan desert by Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro, and unrelated to the later Volkswagen Touareg beyond the name. It satisfies the basic functions of an automobile in an essential package: a tubular steel structure with hi-tech joints forms a protective cell, to which body panels in steel mesh, perforated aluminium, plastic or glass are fastened with ordinary bolts. The engine has a carburettor and plain wiring instead of electronic systems so that it can be repaired in harsh conditions, and a bonnet perforated on one side reveals a classic 6 litre, 8 cylinder, 250 hp GM engine; the magazine Motor News reported a 5.4 litre Chevrolet V8 of 280 hp instead. Motor News also gave its size as 4,180 mm long, 1,840 mm wide and 1,950 mm high on a 2,480 mm wheelbase and its weight as 1,800 kg. Motor.ru reported that the working prototype was given to the photographer Helmut Newton.