1973 Audi Asso di Picche concept by Italdesign

In the 1970s, car design was all about the angular wedge. “Make ‘em pointy and they will sell” was the motto of car designers at the time. Actually it wasn’t. But it may as well have been. Italdesign was no exception, in fact they were one of the champions of the wedge design. And when they designed a four-seater sports coupe for Audi in 1973, how could it be anything else.

The Audi Asso di Picche concept by Italdesign was based on an Audi 80 platform. Although interestingly it wasn’t Audi who commissioned the car, it was in fact designed at the request Karmann Coachworks. Karmann hoped that they could get Audi interested enough in the car to get them to order a limited run which Karmann would then manufacture for the company.

The styling of the Audi Asso di Picche (Italian for Ace of Spades) was partially inspired by a previous Italdesign concept, the Boomerang supercar – which had been designed for Maserati a couple of years before. However for the Asso di Picche the extreme styling and unusual window configuration of the Boomerang was ditched for something a bit more sensible.

On the inside the Asso di Picche concept was pretty odd even by 1970s standards. The instrument panel was housed within a cylindrical box mounted on the dashboard. It had multiple digital displays spread across it and was confusing to say the least. Underneath the instrument panel was a second smaller cylinder housing numerous switches for secondary functions. The steering wheel was a simple rally-inspired two-spoke unit, while the door panels with separate button-down pockets were inspired by handbag design. Overall it was a bit of a mess, and the craftsmanship of the upholstery work was poor.

Powering the Audi Asso di Picche was a 1.5 litre four-cylinder engine producing around 84 horsepower. Power was sent to the front wheels through a 4-speed manual transmission.

Interestingly, although the Audi Asso di Picche never saw production, Italdesign say the car’s angular styling influenced the design of the Lancia Delta which the company unveiled in 1979. It is also said the concept may have played a role in the design of the first-generation Volkswagen Scirocco.

The Audi Asso di Picche concept, a forgotten relic from the ’70s which went on to influence the design of two of Europe’s most iconic driver’s cars of the 20th century. Not bad really.