Audi Aztec – A futuristic supercar with a tragic fate

A rare Aztec Barchetta Giugiaro (Audi Aztec) sports car has just appeared on the used car market.

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Also known as Audi Aztec, Aztec Barchetta Giugiaro was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, a great Italian designer of Italdesign, in the 1980s. The number of cars produced is uncertain, but they are known to be rare with a quantity of 15 to 50.

Audi Aztec - A futuristic design ahead of its time but a tragic fate - Photo 1.

Among the remaining cars on the market after more than 3 decades, one in fairly good condition has appeared on the used car sales website Mobile. The car sales unit, MTM, requested a “buyout” price of $206,500 – a much lower figure compared to the last time another car was sold for nearly $1.1 million.

MTM stated that their Aztec Barchetta Giugiaro is one of the last cars to roll off the assembly line in 1992 – the final year in the 4 years that these supercars with Audi engines were handmade. It took 3 years after production to find an owner, which is also the only owner of this rare supercar till now. The car’s odometer shows only 1,000 km, indicating that most of its life has been spent “sitting in a glass cabinet”.

Audi Aztec - A futuristic design ahead of its time but a tragic fate - Photo 3.

The Aztec Barchetta Giugiaro’s design can be said to be ahead of its time with a structure that lacks a roof, similar to what Ferrari Monza, Aston Martin V12 Speedster, and McLaren Elva are currently applying. The separated interior design of the driver’s seat and the passenger seat is particularly similar to the Ferrari supercar. The leather interior still appears to be in good condition, and the plastic surfaces of the car are not scratched.

Audi Aztec - A futuristic design ahead of its time but a tragic fate - Photo 4.
Audi Aztec - A futuristic design ahead of its time but a tragic fate - Photo 5.

However, the level of refinement and the lines of the Audi Aztec cannot match those of later models.

Audi Aztec - A futuristic design ahead of its time but a tragic fate - Photo 6.

The Aztec Barchetta Giugiaro is equipped with a 2.2L 5-cylinder engine from the Audi Quattro – one of the reasons this car is named Audi Aztec as mentioned above. It is combined with a 5-speed manual gearbox from the Lancia Delta Integrale.

Reference: Carscoops

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Audi Aztec – An innovative supercar with a tragic destiny

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