Alfa Romeo LEA Concept

As concept designer Luigi Memola explains, the concept represents his “idea of magnetic beauty, sensuality, sexy and aggressiveness without compromise.”

The design inspiration comes from Alfa Romeo’s rich heritage. Luigi explains: “I tried to understand the true DNA of Alfa – I hope I’ve been able to capture it. The iconic cars that most inspired me are some of Alfa’s historic masterpieces.”

The 1900 C52 Coupé Disco Volante provided the inspiration for the line defining the starting area of the inward bend, as well as for the front fascia with the chromed support for the trademark badge and the LED elements of the lower headlights.

The concept also reinterprets many styling elements of the iconic 33 Stradale. These include the soft shapes, the muscular wheel-arches and shoulders, the single uninterrupted silhouette line that defines  the windshield, the roof ant the tail, as well as the angled lower air intakes at the front.

The 33 Daytona was referenced in the tail design, with its integrated wing and the transparent engine cover, as well as in details such as the exterior sideview mirrors.

Regarding the name, he explains “Lea is the name of a person really special for me, but  is also the Italian acronym of : Linea (Line) Emozionante (Exciting) Aerodinamica (Aerodynamics).”

The study was first conceived with the traditional approach – a first handmade sketch made with a Bic pen on paper – then he switched to Photoshop to add volumes and details.

Once the main design idea was defined, the project was then developed in 3D. Differently from many of his other projects, the concept was developed in 3D with subdivision surface modeling techniques in Blender.

“I started using Blender 10 years ago, but I’m still using only a small part of its enormous potential.”

About the designer

Luigi Memola is Head of Design at EPTA Design ltd London . His personal work is published on his Behance profile.

(Image Courtesy: Luigi Memola for Car Body Design)