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ItalDesign - Giugiaro Together

1984

The Together was a concept car by Italdesign Giugiaro, shown alongside the Marlin at the 1984 Turin auto show. It was a large estate-style people carrier, one of several such exercises the studio had explored, and it shared its technical base with the Marlin: a Lancia Delta HF platform with a lengthened wheelbase and switchable four-wheel drive developed under an Italdesign patent.

Giorgetto Giugiaro described the Together as a "one-and-a-half-volume" body, predicting that this space-wagon layout would become widely popular; he cited existing examples such as the Nissan Prairie, Mitsubishi Chariot (sold elsewhere as the Space Wagon), Renault Espace and Chrysler T115 as evidence of the trend. Despite measuring only 415 cm long against the Marlin's 460 cm, the Together achieved greater usable interior space by standing taller, at 160 cm versus the Marlin's 137 cm, and by relocating the pedals upward and forward. This gave 220 cm of clearance between the pedals and the rear seat backrest, 17 cm more than in the Marlin. The nose-to-windscreen crease was smoothed almost away, and a raised body band ahead of the windscreen concealed the wipers while doubling as a heater air intake; it continued into the door mirror mounts, below which the beltline dropped a step along the front doors to improve side visibility. Glazing wrapped around the cabin, broken only by slim, trim-covered roof pillars.

The floor sat level with the base of the door openings, and all four doors opened to wide angles. A full-width tailgate gave access to a large boot containing a folding double seat, stowed beneath the usual two-to-three-person rear bench, which could slide forward by up to 88 cm. This allowed the middle and rear seat rows to be converted into a double bed, while the front seats could rotate 180 degrees for a conference or picnic layout. The Together could also be reconfigured as a load-carrying van. Reinforced side sill cladding allowed the four-wheel-drive system to be used off-road. The dashboard used compact electronic instrumentation, including a check-control unit for mechanical systems, a magnetic card computer, a steering-wheel-integrated cruise control, and separate exterior and interior temperature displays.

Mechanically, the Together used the Lancia Delta HF's 1585 cc four-cylinder DOHC turbo engine, producing 130 hp at 5600 rpm and 191 Nm at 3700 rpm, paired with four-wheel drive. It measured 415 cm long, 179 cm wide and 160 cm tall, with a 266.5 cm wheelbase and front/rear tracks of 146 and 145 cm. The body was a five-door, seven-seat layout.

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