Alfa Romeo does not build many cars like the Alfa Romeo Vola: a 2-door roadster with 3.0L Alfa Romeo 12V V6, built from 2000 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Its designer of record is Leonardo Fioravanti.
The story
The Alfa Romeo Vola is a concept car designed by Leonardo Fioravanti in 2000. The car was presented for the first time at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show. One of its most notable features is a rotating glass roof. The deck lid hinges are concentric with the top, so the trunk access is freely available, as the open roof sits on top of the trunk lid.
Originally livered in black with red interior, the Vola was shown at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show with a red paint and brown upholstery. The same idea was later used in the Ferrari Superamerica from 2005, also designed by Fioravanti and patented as a Revocromico roof. In 2008 the rear buttresses of the Vola were remodelled similar to the Superamerica. Fioravanti also refers to the car as the "Alfa Romeo LF."
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 3.0L Alfa Romeo 12V V6. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2540 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Toyota Yaris, the Honda S2000. Nearby in the Alfa Romeo catalogue sit the A.L.F.A 12 HP and the A.L.F.A 15 HP.