This 1988 Italdesign Aztec was designed as a road-going version of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s 1988 Turin Motor Show prototype and is one of what is believed to have been 25 or fewer built during a planned 50-car production run. This example was reportedly on display at the Shanghai Automotive Museum in China between 2011 and 2015 before being imported to the US by the Blackhawk Collection in California and purchased by its previous owner. The twin-cockpit body is finished in silver over a gray leather interior, and additional design elements include dual-action doors, service control panels in the exterior fairings, twin removable plexiglass cockpit canopies, and a passenger trip information console. Power is provided by a turbocharged Audi 2.2-liter inline-five paired with a five-speed manual transaxle and a Lancia all-wheel drive system. This Aztec shows 400 kilometers (~250 miles) and is offered by the selling dealer with documents from its 2015 importation and a New Jersey title.

The Aztec was introduced at the 1988 Turin Motor Show as part of a trio of concepts designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Through an agreement with Japanese firm Compact, a limited run of 50 street-legal prototypes was scheduled to be built for the Japanese and European markets, though it is believed that half or fewer were completed. Body panels incorporate aluminum, carbon fiber, and Kevlar over a steel chassis, and this example is finished in silver.

Individual canopies are hinged at the center to open in a gull-wing configuration, and act in conjunction with conventional front-hinged doors to allow entry into the split cabin. Additional design features include rear wheel spats, transparent door insets, pop-up headlights, and a carbon fiber rear wing. Each canopy is equipped with a removable plexiglass top bubble. 16” Canonica wheels wear Pirelli P Zero tires.

Interfaces integrated into the rear quarter panels were designed to allow access to the cockpit and service areas via a set of three-digit codes. The fuel filler door is located on the left, while 12-volt receptacles, ventilator switches, and manometers are featured on either side. Other features of Giugiaro’s concept include a hydraulic jacking system, an oil drain spigot in one of the rocker panels, tools, lamps, and a fire extinguisher.

The interior is trimmed in gray and features power-adjustable sport seats split by a console shared between the driver and passenger compartments. The car is equipped with automatic climate control as well as a JVC sound system with a CD player, cassette deck, and equalizer. An asymmetrical Nardi steering wheel is trimmed in gray and black leather.

Control buttons are incorporated around the instrument pod, which is home to VDO gauges including a 220-km/h speedometer, a 10k-rpm tachometer, and a five-digit odometer showing just over 400 kilometers (~250 miles). The passenger side is equipped with its own pod featuring a semicircular grab handle and a period Halda rally computer.

The mid-mounted, turbocharged Audi 2.2-liter inline-five was specially tuned for the Aztec by Mayer MTM in Germany, and produced a claimed 250 horsepower when new. Power is sent to all four wheels through a five-speed manual transaxle and an all-wheel drive system featuring Lancia Delta front and rear differentials.

Literature on the Aztec concept and its limited-run production counterpart can be viewed in the photo gallery below, as can documents from this example’s importation to the US in 2015.