Italdesign Aztec
The Italdesign Aztec is a futuristic two-seat sports car introduced by Italdesign Giugiaro in 1988 to celebrate the studio’s 20th anniversary. It stands out because the driver and passenger sit apart and must communicate electronically. The car has a speedster-style body with removable gull-wing sections and a mid-mounted turbocharged Audi engine linked to four-wheel drive based on the Lancia Delta HF Integrale.
Rights to the Aztec were bought by a Turin company called Compact srl, which planned to build 50 cars for Japan. Carrozzeria Savio handled the actual construction in Turin. Only a small number were made—about 18 cars are most commonly cited, with some sources listing fewer than 25.
Power and specs include a 2.2-liter turbocharged Audi five-cylinder engine with a five-speed manual gearbox. Officially around 200 PS (about 197 hp) are claimed, though many cars were boosted closer to the 250 hp badge seen on the flank.
The Aztec packed advanced, space-age features for its time. Rear aluminum panels hid control panels where occupants could enter codes to access functions such as extra lights, a hydraulic jack, a screwdriver, a fire extinguisher, an air compressor, and a flashlight. Inside, the passenger sat behind a small steering-wheel-shaped instrument cluster with damper and engine-timing controls, while the driver had the main dashboard. A central dashboard housed satellite navigation. The design favored futuristic styling over organic cues, with Le Mans–inspired wing mirrors, a carbon-fiber rear wing for downforce, and safety roll bars, plus enough luggage space to be practical.
The Aztec also appeared in films, including Frankenstein Unbound (1990) as the hero’s computer-controlled car, and A spasso nel tempo (1996) alongside other Italdesign concepts.
Dimensions include a wheelbase of about 2,601 mm, length around 4,270 mm, width 1,971 mm, and height 1,175 mm.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:59 (CET).