This is the fifth edition of the award which was instigated by the Barcelona Trade Fair centre and by the STA (Sociedad de Técnicos de Automocion), the Spanish technical automobile association, for the best vehicle technology.
The technological concept, created by CRF has been constructed from MAZEL, the engineering spanish company.

“Sportiva Latina” is the product of an innovative vision of Fiat researchers, in which style plays its part in enhancing and communicating technological innovations.

In particular, this prototype encompasses various innovations:

• a multi-material chassis developed for sports cars, based on split-frame architecture, in which the lower modular frame is separated from the upper body by elastic mounts to improve driving comfort;
• eye-center, an automatic system for adjusting the steering wheel, the seat and pedals, based on eye-level height, which enables the driver to find the most ergonomically correct position
• steer by wire, a steering system activated by electrical impulses instead of the traditional mechanical connection which, together with an active differential, enable the vehicle’s dynamic behaviour to be personalised and to improve safety and driving pleasure.

Innovative Chassis

The Sportiva Latina chassis is the latest development of a project started some years ago as "Sportiva Evoluta", and that provided the base structure for the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Concept.

This multi-material chassis demonstrates how the body-on-frame concept can be successfully applied to extreme sport cars, with benefits in terms of weight reduction and performance.
This type of architecture, named "Split-Frame" ensures a high level of insulation from vibrations and was not cosidered a good solution for high performance vehicles because of its weight, generally greater than a unibody solution.

In order to minimize its mass, every single component was optimized in shape and material. As a result, the structure makes use of titanium alloys, aluminum (both cast and extruded members) and carbon fibers.

The Carbon-Fiber Floor-pan

The whole chassis weight is under 100 Kg, and its performances are adequate for extreme sport cars.

One of the main issues with the use of carbon fiber composites is the need for manual operations in the manufacturing process. The firewall of the Sportiva Latina Concept represents the first automotive application of VRTM technologies (Vacuum ResinTransfer Moulding) for structural members.

The manufacturing and assembly technologies are claimed to be suitable for a production volume of 5 units per day.

The female die of the firewall, suitable for the production of about 150 parts

Deposition of the fibers before the resin injection (VRTM Technology)