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Lancia Delta Integrale specialists and enthusiasts
Pu+Ra?
I was interested to see Stellantis revealing their much teased
futuristic concept car, the Lancia Pu+Ra HPE.
Revealed at 2023 Milan Design Week, the concept car is sleek and clean sided,
with hints of past Lancia features, and a nod to Range Rover's side vents, or maybe an oversize Evo2 front wheel arch vent. The new car is part of a Lancia rebranding exercise, aimed to get the world buying from the Lancia branded fleet again.
It's a stylish car, influenced by the Fiat group's recently discovered
respect for their heritage. In other words, and the words
of Car Design News, the Pu+Ra HPE is a collection of heritage
details looking for a home.
There's a saying in car design studios,
'If you can't decide what shape to do a tail light, make it round!'
The gentle curves of the Pu+Ra are modern and non-confrontational,
but they do lack the purposeful appearance of the Alitalia Stratos.
If the exterior is a heritage throwback exercise, the interior is conservatory tea time.
The seats are a happy soft fabric, wipe clean I hope, because the round receptacle
in between the seats is referred to as a tea tray.
I don't know if the Alitalia Stratos drivers had time for a cup of tea, but I think
it would be spilled using the new cars shallow tray.
The rear window has body colour horizontal stripes applied to the glass,
I guess echoing the Stratos cover slats.
This is the rear seating of a 1978 Lancia Beta HPE S2
This is the front seating of the Pu+Ra
A life in lettering has taught me that deleting any part of a company's title detracts from the respect for that title.
As the observer you don't really know why, but deleting the cross bar from the 2 'A's
in the new Lancia logo act
to lower your respect
for the name.
Old logo
New logo
Hugh pushing on a bit in his Evo,
form following function.
The best feature of the Pu+Ra is the paint colour,
which is close to the attractive green that Hugh once painted his Evo
You may very well think I enjoy complaining! But I wish good luck to Stellantis and their Pu+Ra.
Car Design News also commented that any new car would find it hard
living up to all the hype, and teased Lancia press releases. I agree with that.
However, once again our Lancia Deltas continue to show original designer
Giorgetto Giugiaro's genius, and the entusiasmo of the Italian craftsmen who developed our cars,
and allowed form to follow function in a distinctive and natural way.
