We all remember the prototype Kamal presented in the year 2003. But six years before, Alfa Romeo had already rehearsed their entry into the segment of compact SUVS, with a conceptual work called Alfa Romeo Sportut, exhibited for the first time at the Geneva motor show in the year 1997.
El first SUV of Alfa Romeo is just around the corner, but the Italian brand ago, almost 20 years which demonstrates his admission to that segment that day to day it becomes more defendant. After the presentation of the new generation of the Giulia, the brand’s biscione will launch the that will become their first SUV.
while in the year 2003, the Italian house was surprised with the prototype Kamal, a conceptual work that looked almost ready to enter production, various reasons did that finally, could never happen. It was an attractive prototype signed by the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo, who took as the basis of the platform used for the 159 and the Brera.
however six years earlier, Alfa Romeo commissioned Pininfarina the development of a prototype for the Geneva motor show in the year 1997. Pininfarina took the base of the Alfa Romeo 145 and clothed himself with a body-reformulated with the format of a compact SUV.
From the year 1997 Alfa Romeo practiced his or her entry into the SUV segment, with this prototype based on the 145.
it Was the Alfa Romeo Sportut, a prototype of the format, something exotic, with their mirrors mounted on the fenders, which in its front part in turn served as a support for the position lights.
The body was finished in two tones, with the bottom and the front painted in silver, like the rear bumper. To the side the rear doors had the handles hidden in the C-pillar, as was by then in the 156, while that in the posterior sector highlighted the spare wheel recessed behind the gate. In that sector was where the similarity with the Alfa Romeo 145 became more apparent, because some of the moldings of the body.
Alfa Romeo Sportut used a 4-cylinder engine, 2.0-liter that produced 155 horsepower. The propeller was attached to a manual change of five marches, and to a system of four wheel drive.
Perhaps on an aesthetic level has not been one of the best creations of Bertone, but there are no doubts that its possible arrival on the market for almost 20 years, could have influenced positively the sales of the Italian brand, in that period of time did not live their best moments.
