Yenfun Xu has a fondness for the “hammered craftsmanship” found in classic cars like the Jaguar E- and D-Type. He sought to express this in his final degree show project at Coventry University.
Created as homage to Carlo (Karl) Abarth’s 1949 Cisitalia-Abarth 204A Spyder Corsa, the Abarth Concept 204A is a compact two-seat road legal race car intended for the Chinese market.
The concept shares the same package dimensions as an existing MX-5 or GT86 but has a small rotary hybrid powertrain to keep the car light. It would be priced slightly higher than those vehicles but remain inexpensive to make it accessible for a younger generation of customers.
Xu says he began working on the project to provide a new perspective on the classic roadster “expressed in my way”, respecting the traditional formal elegance of compact Italian spider
“The small engine roadster or clean energy powered coupe could have a bright future and very specific market position in China,” says Xu. “A sport car that is not very expensive but reliable at the meantime, with a beautiful Italian-like styling is the key.”
