There are a few shapes in the natural world, that with their simplicity and clarity couldn’t possibly be more perfect. Of course, in the universe there is no such thing as perfection, or a perfect shape. Stephen Hawking said that on TV the other night, so it must be fact. But by golly, the Alfa Romeo Duetto certainly argues against his point.
The outline of a leaf, the symbol for love, a heart, a tear… Beautiful, pure and iconic shapes. The Alfa Romeo Duetto is one such shape, so delicate and chaste, it could’ve been borne of nature. But it wasn’t. It was born in the industrial capital of Italy, Turin, and sold for only a sinful 12 months. Thankfully it gave way to an almost-as-pretty Spider which carried the legendary nameplate around the world for 25 years, but it’s the Duetto that still wears the crown as the most beautiful Alfa of all time.
Pininfarina was responsible for the design, which basically consists of two lines. One arch is concave and one convex, they meet at either ends, and that’s it. That’s how Battista Farina came up with the Duetto, his last ever design before his death in 1966. It must have taken all of 12 seconds to come up with it, but there you have it, those two lines made history.
The car was based on the Giulia 105, with a boat-tail finish and a healthy 109 horses caressing the rear wheels. Sensitive steering and lively handling made it as pleasurable to drive as to look at, and the vocal exhaust made every top-down trip more special.
The Duetto had a wider track than its predecessor and disc brakes all round, but the same wheelbase. However, due to the styling, the Italians immediately started calling the car ‘Cuttlefish’ as the design was considered a bit controversial for some reason. It just goes to show that Battista was way ahead of the times, since the Duetto’s elegance can hardly be matched even today.
When Alfa launched the car however, in 1966, all that was missing was a name. They wanted something new and fresh, so immediately ruled out Spider, Giulia, Veloce and that sort of thing. So they organised a competition open to the public to see who comes up with the best name. The winner would be awarded a free car, but sadly not the one they’d just named.
Suggestions poured in from all over the world, more than 140,000 in total. Some as absurd as Hitler and Stalin, others a bit mismatching such as Wolf, Panther and Tiger, and just plain zany like Shakespeare.
But of course an Italian won with his Duetto suggestion, which if you haven’t figured it out already means ‘duet’ — as simple as the two- seater itself, and thus perfectly fitting. Well if there was such a thing as perfect. Until then, we’ll just settle for the Duetto.
