In the language of automotive design, few elements speak louder than glass. For Giorgetto Giugiaro—arguably the most prolific and influential car designer of the 20th century—the cockpit-style glass canopy wasn’t just a futuristic flourish; it became a recurring obsession, a signature trait that spanned decades of concept cars and design eras.
Inspired by the sleek domes of fighter jets and spacecraft, Giugiaro’s canopy creations turned the car roof into something far more evocative: a transparent cockpit, a sculptural lid, a statement of intent. Whether hinged at the nose, split into butterfly panels, or sliding silently over high-tech cabins, these glass canopies weren’t just about visibility—they were about vision.
In this article, we explore 12 of Giugiaro’s most daring concept cars, all featuring canopy-style designs that pushed boundaries in both aesthetics and engineering. From the Alfa Romeo Caimano to the ultra-modern Peralta S, each reflects a moment in time when transparency wasn’t just about the view—it was about showing the future.
The journey begins with the Nardi “Blue Ray” I, a visionary concept penned by Giovanni Michelotti. Built on a Lancia Aurelia chassis, this sleek coupé introduced a bubble-like plexiglass canopy that immediately evoked fighter aircraft aesthetics. The entire roof was a domed Perspex™ glass canopy tinted in blue, flowing into the windshield and rear window. Entry wasn’t via conventional doors at all – instead, the Blue Ray’s side windows slid upward into the roof’s center section, like the canopy of a jet, allowing occupants to climb in. This clear roof not only gave a panoramic view but also set the tone for using transparent forms to shape a car’s character. With its dazzling blue hue and curved glass, the Blue Ray’s canopy reflected light dramatically, showcasing form through reflection – a trait future designers (especially Giugiaro) would amplify with silver paint on later concepts. What Michelotti started here was nothing short of sci-fi on wheels, establishing the bubble top as a symbol of the optimistic 1950s futurism.
1963 Chevrolet Testudo – Jet-Age Vision in Silver
In 1963, a young Giorgetto Giugiaro – then working at Bertone – carried the canopy torch forward with the Chevrolet Testudo concept. The Testudo (Latin for “turtle”) was Giugiaro’s first true free-hand design, and it boldly featured a one-piece front-hinged canopy in place of doors. The entire windshield and roof section swung forward on hinges at the nose, much like a fighter jet’s cockpit cover flipping up. Notably, the wrap-around windscreen had no A-pillars at all, creating an unbroken glass curve around the front. A tinted plexiglass roof panel blended into the windshield, seamlessly connecting the clear canopy to the rear deck – an ultra-clean look that made the car appear carved from a single form. Painted an eye-catching metallic silver (Giugiaro’s original choice, before it was later repainted white), the Testudo used color and reflection to accentuate its curves. Light would glide over the silver body and into the glass, emphasizing the smooth “turtle shell” shape Giugiaro envisioned. In practice, the canopy made ingress an event: press a latch and the entire glass roof and windshield assembly tilted forward, giving access to the two-seat cabin. This dramatic entry, combined with the clarity of the glass and lack of roof supports, lent the Testudo a true jet-age feel. It was as if you were stepping into a spacecraft. The design’s impact was huge – elements of the Testudo’s style (the low nose, wraparound glass) would influence everything from the Corvette to the Lamborghini Miura in the years to come. With the Testudo, Giugiaro set a template: futuristic canopy, silver paint, and sleek form to wow the crowds and explore new design frontiers.
1971 Alfa Romeo Caimano – Wedge Futurism Under Glass
By 1971, the wedge craze was in full swing, and Giugiaro applied the canopy idea to Alfa Romeo’s compact Alfasud platform to create the Alfa Romeo Caimano. This small silver coupé looked like a spaceship for the road. Its most striking feature was a large one-piece glass canopy windshield that incorporated the doors into it. In other words, the Caimano’s entire front half of the cabin – windshield, side glass up to the B-pillar – was a single unified bubble that hinged upward. The side doors were low cut and mostly glass, so when the canopy lifted, the upper half of the doors went with it. Only the lower metal portion of the doors stayed put. The effect was an entry similar to the Testudo/Manta style: the whole top of the car opened. When closed, the canopy gave the Caimano a continuous wraparound windshield and roof, interrupted only by a trapezoidal roll-bar hoop at the rear. This design provided superb visibility and an airy feel despite the car’s tiny size. It also allowed funky touches: the Caimano’s canopy had an embedded adjustable spoiler/roll bar at the rear and even pop-up headlights hidden in the nose. Painted in a flat silver with orange graphics, the Caimano again used silver paint to play with light and shadow, highlighting the crisp folds of its wedge body and the transparency of its bubble top. Under sunlight, the glass canopy made the interior glow, and reflections slid from metal to glass seamlessly – exactly the effect Giugiaro loved for emphasizing form. Dubbed a “little flying saucer” by some, the Caimano showed how the canopy concept could be scaled down. Despite being based on an economy car chassis, it looked every bit a 1970s vision of the future. As a design exercise, it reinforced Giugiaro’s recurring theme: the car as a cockpit, connecting driver and road through expansive glass and dramatic openings.
1972 Maserati Boomerang – Geometric Glass Cockpit
Unveiled in 1972, the Maserati Boomerang took Giugiaro’s wedge language to an extreme of geometric simplicity – and yet the designer made sure to include a prominent glass canopy element. The Boomerang featured a huge, sharply raked windshield that flowed into a full glass roof, giving the car an almost continuous window from the hood to the engine cover. While the Boomerang did retain conventional doors for entry, these doors had large frameless windows that met the edges of the roof glass. Together with additional quarter windows in the lower doors, the effect was a wraparound greenhouse that flooded the interior with light. Parked under auto show lights, its silver-grey bodywork and expansive glazing made the Boomerang’s cabin glow like a cockpit on display. Giugiaro’s consistent use of silver paint enhanced the effect, reflecting the stand lights across the hood’s trident emblem and up onto the glass roof (as seen in period photos). The result was a striking contrast: a car with razor-sharp edges and flat planes, yet a roof that was transparent and visually light. The continuous glass also made the Boomerang appear lower and sleeker – there were no obvious roof pillars breaking the line. In essence, the entire top of the car was a canopy, even if not one that opened in one piece. The design impact was immense: sitting in the Boomerang felt like being in a modern helicopter – views all around and above. Giugiaro even carried the aircraft inspiration inside, with a radical hub-less steering wheel and instrument pod visible through the glass. Although fully functional (it even hit 186 mph in testing, allegedly), the Boomerang remained a one-off showpiece. Its light-flooded cockpit and audacious styling influenced concept cars for decades. It proved you didn’t need a single lifting canopy door to achieve the canopy look – careful integration of glass panels could also create that jetfighter aura. The Boomerang remains one of Giugiaro’s boldest visions, showing the balance of form and light that a glass roof could achieve in a supercar context.
1984 Lotus Etna – Dome of the Supercar
In the 1980s, Giugiaro’s design for the Lotus Etna concept carried the canopy theme into a new era of aerodynamic supercars. The Etna, unveiled in 1984, was a sleek mid-engine 2+2 that featured a notable Perspex dome over the cockpit. The front windshield and roof were formed as one smooth transparent canopy piece – so much so that when the original Perspex unit blew off during transport (a testament to how large it was), Lotus had to have a new one custom made! This clear roof panel stretched from the top of the windshield almost to the engine bay, creating a look reminiscent of a fighter jet canopy grafted onto a car. While the Etna still had normal side doors for entry, the roof itself was all glass, giving an unbroken view upward and a very bright interior. Painted a subtle silver-gray, the Etna’s body let the tinted canopy take center stage visually. Show attendees could peer in and see the futuristic interior, thanks to the light pouring through. The shape of the canopy also contributed to aerodynamics – it was neatly integrated into the Etna’s wind-cheating lines, illustrating how form and function can meet stylishly. Giugiaro had learned from earlier projects like the Boomerang and applied those lessons here: use a large glass area to emphasize the car’s form and create visual drama, but also ensure it’s production-feasible. In fact, the Etna was intended to preview a possible Lotus flagship, so its canopy wasn’t just styling for styling’s sake; it was an exploration of manufacturing curved glass on a larger scale. Ultimately, the Etna never saw production (Lotus’s finances saw to that), but its massive canopy concept lived on. Giugiaro would echo it soon after in another project – a certain Bugatti concept – and the Etna stands as a bridge between the pure show-car canopies of the ’70s and the more practical (but still wild) ones of the late ’80s. It proved that even as cars became more technical and aerodynamic, the romance of an aircraft-style roof could be retained.
1988 Italdesign Aspid – One-Box Canopy Coupé
Debuted alongside the Aztec was its lesser-known sibling, the Italdesign Aspid. The Aspid was a closed coupé evolution of the Aztec, taking the twin-cockpit idea and fusing it under a single roof. The result was a highly streamlined one-box design (no distinct hood, cabin, trunk volumes) that still managed to incorporate a canopy-style entry. The Aspid’s roof was a smooth bubble over both seats, divided in the middle by a subtle ridge. To get in, the door comprised two elements: a conventional lower door and an upper section that rotated forward, canopy-like. In practice, you’d open the normal door, and simultaneously the roof portion above the door (including the side glass) would flip forward on hinges at the windshield frame. This allowed a large opening without requiring a single giant canopy – a clever two-piece solution. It preserved the Aspid’s structural rigidity while still giving that dramatic fighter jet feeling on entry. The reason for these complex windows and curves was partly technical innovation: Italdesign was experimenting with molding doubly-curved glass in production, enabling the Aspid’s swoopy windshield and side windows to wrap smoothly around the car. Clad in a silvery paint (often shown in a pale metallic green or other hues in different mockups, but the design intent was a reflective finish), the Aspid showed light and shadow beautifully on its continuous surface. Giugiaro explicitly revisited the Manta’s “one-box” theme with this car, creating a modernized wedge with a canopy integration. By having a partially opening canopy (rather than the whole front flipping up), the Aspid indicated a step toward real-world practicality. It’s as if Giugiaro was saying: we can have our canopy and daily-drive it too. The upper glass panels were smaller and easier to manage, but from the inside the experience was still one of a broad, uninterrupted view. The Aspid’s legacy is often overshadowed by the flashier Aztec, but in terms of design evolution it’s key: it shows Giugiaro refining the canopy concept for use on a feasible sports car, blending the canopy with conventional elements. This yin-yang of door mechanisms would directly inspire the next entry on our list, which took the idea to a famous Italian supercar marque.
1990 Bugatti ID 90 – A Dome for Bugatti’s Revival
When Bugatti was being resurrected in the late 1980s, Giugiaro pitched in with a concept for a new supercar: the ID 90. This 1990 concept (short for ItalDesign 1990) was Giugiaro’s proposal for what became the Bugatti EB110. True to form, he gave it an enormous glass dome over the cockpit as a signature element. The ID 90’s canopy was a sweeping bubble that covered both driver and passenger, flowing back into a cut-out rear engine cover. In fact, the dome extended so far back that the top of the mid-mounted V12 was exposed only through an open rear section where louvered vents were placed to cool the engine. In essence, from the front nose to just behind the seats, the car was under glass – a very exotic look that set it apart from any production car at the time. The shape of the glass was smoothly integrated into the body lines, creating a graceful roofline and making the car appear lower. Painted in a refined silver (with subtle blue accents in some illustrations), the ID 90 also played with light: the massive glass canopy reflected the sky above, visually merging the car with its environment, while the silver body reflected the ground. It was a poetic contrast of transparency and opacity. Functionally, the ID 90’s canopy gave the cabin a bright, airy feel and likely great visibility. The open rear section was an ingenious touch – by not extending the glass all the way over the engine, Giugiaro avoided heat build-up and provided an outlet for cooling air, all while maintaining the dome aesthetic. The design was reminiscent of his earlier Lotus Etna study (indeed it had a similar arrangement to the 1984 Lotus Etna’s glass dome, showing he was refining ideas across projects. Although Bugatti went with a different design for the EB110 (and a less daring semi-glass roof), the ID 90 remains a beautiful “what if.” It demonstrated how the aircraft canopy theme could be applied to a contemporary ’90s supercar without looking retro. By combining a jet-fighter-style dome with Bugatti’s classic cues and modern engineering, Giugiaro created a concept that still looks fresh. The ID 90’s influence can even be seen in later supercars that adopted glass engine covers and extensive canopy-like windshields. It was the last of Giugiaro’s pure canopy supercar concepts of the 20th century, and it did the theme proud.
1991 BMW Nazca C2 – Gullwing Glass and Light Play
The early ’90s saw one more Giugiaro canopy experiment, this time led in part by Giorgetto’s son Fabrizio. The BMW Nazca C2 (1991) was the second evolution of a concept exploring a future BMW supercar. While the Nazca M12 (1991) was the initial version, the C2 refined it and is often remembered for its striking door mechanism. The Nazca C2 had a gullwing-style glass canopy combined with conventional doors. In practice, the side doors opened outward like a normal car, but the roof’s central glass portion – including the upper window frames – hinged up butterfly-style. Each half of the roof lifted on gullwing hinges above the occupants, dramatically rising upward while the lower doors swung out. This gave a very large opening for entry and exit, and when both the doors and roof sections were open, the Nazca looked truly exotic – almost like it had scissor doors, except the transparent top halves accentuated the effect. When closed, the Nazca C2’s entire cabin was under a gently curved canopy of glass, from the windshield over the seats (there was even a visible split down the middle of the windshield, giving a hint of its multi-piece nature). The design kept A-pillars for structure, but they were thin, and the cockpit felt like a bubble within the carbon-fiber body. Painted in a lustrous silver (the Nazca prototypes appeared in silver and also white), the car showed off every contour. The glazed gullwing canopy let light pour into the interior, which was finished in raw aluminum and leather for a high-tech ambiance. Looking at the Nazca C2, one could see the lineage: the split canopy concept might remind you of the Aspid’s approach, and indeed the later Alfa Scighera would borrow this very door idea. For BMW, the Nazca C2 was a showcase of advanced design and materials, and the canopy was as much about style as it was about demonstrating the use of curved glass and carbon structure together. The result was stunning to behold – a silvery, liquid form with a cockpit that could open like a blooming flower. Even today, the Nazca C2 looks ahead of its time, and its partially gullwing roof remains a clever solution to marrying everyday usability (regular doors) with concept-car theatre (lifting canopy sections). It’s a testament to how Giugiaro’s canopy theme had evolved to become more complex and nuanced, blending with other door concepts. The Nazca’s influence would soon materialize in a street-going form through another brand…
1997 Alfa Romeo Scighera – Gullwing Flair and Racing Roots
The Alfa Romeo Scighera concept of 1997 wasn’t penned by Giorgetto directly (it was designed by his son Fabrizio Giugiaro at Italdesign), but it carries the Giugiaro DNA and certainly the canopy lineage. The Scighera was a functional supercar concept with an F1-inspired nose and a twin-turbo V6, but of interest here is its hybrid door system, borrowed from the Nazca C2’s idea. Each door on the Scighera had two motions: a conventional outward swing for the lower portion, and an upward gull-wing hinge for the framed window on top. Effectively, the side window and a chunk of the roof would lift up, while the rest of the door opened sideways. This allowed the Scighera to be designed with an almost uninterrupted canopy-style windshield and roof, without sacrificing access. In fact, the windshield extended deep into the sides of the car, blurring where windshield ends and side windows begin – very canopy-like. The Scighera’s windows were also removable, meaning the car could be run as an open-top roadster if desired. With the windows off, it looked like a speedster; with them on, it was a bubble-topped coupe. The dual-function gullwing setup was electronically powered, adding to the jetfighter mystique (imagine pressing a button and having the roof lift itself for you). Painted in a subtle metallic silver-gray, the Scighera too capitalized on silver’s ability to show off form. The body’s sharp lines contrasted with the smooth, tinted canopy, and light glinted off its complex surfaces. While the Scighera’s primary mission was to honor Alfa’s racing history, it also neatly summed up the canopy theme’s adaptability: by the late ’90s, the idea had matured into combinations of partial canopies and clever door mechanisms. The result still delivered that “born from jets” impact – an onlooker would certainly describe the Scighera’s cockpit as resembling a fighter jet’s, especially with those windows lifting upward. In many ways, the Scighera was the last hurrah of the classic canopy era at Italdesign before the new millennium, tying the ribbon on decades of development by showing a car that had one foot in concept fantasy and one in production reality.
2003 Chevrolet Corvette Moray – Italian-American Transparency
The Chevrolet Corvette Moray was Italdesign’s take on blending American muscle with Italian sophistication. Its standout feature was a sweeping glass canopy integrated into the roofline, offering a broad, curved view and a modern reinterpretation of the Corvette’s classic lines. Though it retained traditional doors, the elongated glass area flowed deep into the roof, giving it a semi-bubble cockpit feel. Painted blue, the Moray exemplified Giugiaro’s use of reflective tones to highlight body curvature and canopy elegance.
2017 Techrules REN – Fighter Jet for the Future
With the Techrules REN, Giugiaro reimagined the canopy for the electrified era. The REN features a central fighter-style canopy with a spine separating three distinct cockpits, similar to the layout of a modern military aircraft. The single-piece canopy lifts forward, allowing entry to all three tandem seats. It’s framed in a composite structure that blends transparency with lightweight rigidity. As usual, Giugiaro used a soft silver-gray finish to allow ambient light to cascade across the surface. The REN’s jet-influenced roofline, visibility, and entry method perfectly encapsulate the designer’s decades-long fascination with canopy drama.
2018 GFG Style Sibylla – Glass as Interface
The GFG Style Sibylla, designed by Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro, redefines the canopy concept for the era of autonomous driving. The entire glass canopy slides forward to allow entry, a modern twist on the forward-tilt seen in earlier concepts. It provides a massive field of view and creates a lounge-like feel inside. The Sibylla’s smart-glass roof is interactive, adjusting transparency and lighting to match external conditions. Painted in silver, it’s a spiritual successor to the Quaranta, using canopy architecture to support both aesthetic and technological innovation.
2024 Peralta S – The Canopy of Tomorrow
The Peralta S is the most recent embodiment of the canopy dream. With a full panoramic glass dome stretching from the hood to the rear deck, this concept imagines a world where visibility, style, and sustainability converge. The canopy opens via an elegant clamshell mechanism, and the use of silver bodywork keeps the design visually unified. Here, the canopy isn’t just a window—it’s the soul of the design. Light, air, and form come together in a futuristic statement of intent that nods to everything Giugiaro and his predecessors envisioned.
A Legacy of Light and Imagination
From Michelotti’s bubble-top Blue Ray to Giugiaro’s silver-sprayed parade of concepts, the aircraft-style canopy has become an enduring symbol in automotive design. Each of these 12 cars took the core idea – a transparent, dome-like roof inspired by jet fighters – and made it their own, whether it was a full flip-up canopy, a split canopy, or a cleverly integrated glass roof. Throughout, several themes shine consistently:
- Form and Function in Harmony: These canopies were not just for show; they often improved visibility, reduced visual clutter (no pillars), and in some cases made entry easier or were structurally efficient. Giugiaro in particular found ways to make canopies workable, from the Testudo’s simple hinge to the Aspid’s split door approach and the Nazca/Scighera’s combo doors. The blend of theater and practicality is a hallmark of his designs.
- Silver Paint and Light Play: It’s no coincidence that so many of these concepts were painted silver or gray. Giugiaro repeatedly used silver paint to highlight the interplay of light on the body and glass surfaces. Silver reflects the environment and accentuates shadows, which made the curvature of a canopy stand out. The Testudo, Boomerang, Aspid, ID 90, Nazca, Scighera… all in silver or a close variant. This choice unified the glass and metal visually and gave the impression of seamlessness, enhancing that “cockpit” effect. The cars looked like glowing spacecraft at auto shows, emphasizing design over color distraction.
- Evolution of Aesthetics: Early canopies like Blue Ray and Testudo were very much products of optimistic futurism and aviation fascination. By the ’70s, the canopy signified extreme modernity (wedges and sci-fi futures). In the ’80s, it became a playground for tech (split canopies, gadget-filled interiors). By the 2000s, it was almost a retro-futuristic tribute. Yet, through all eras, the core aesthetic remained rooted in an idea of advanced, almost otherworldly transportation. The canopy became shorthand for “this is a car of tomorrow.”
- Influence on Modern Design: While few production cars have one-piece canopy doors (they’re complex and costly), the influence is evident in many modern designs. Think of supercars with large wraparound windshields, panoramic sunroofs, or glass engine covers (the Bugatti Veyron and Chiron, for instance, use prominent glass areas over the cockpit; the McLaren Speedtail has a fighter-jet windshield that extends over the roof). Even Tesla’s new Roadster prototype features a huge glass roof section. These all owe a debt to the concept trail blazed by the likes of Giugiaro and Michelotti. They proved that embracing an aircraft aesthetic can create emotional appeal and iconic looks.
In the end, these 12 concept cars did more than just showcase an evolution of a design motif – they embodied the dreams of their times. With every canopy that tilted or slid open, they invited people to imagine what if. What if our daily cars had bubble roofs and panoramic views of the sky? What if driving felt like flying? Each design, from the Blue Ray’s gentle dome to the Peralta S massive hatch, expanded the vocabulary of car design. They are beloved by enthusiasts not just for their technical audacity, but because they capture that childlike wonder of the future. Giugiaro, especially, managed to weave a consistent narrative through his work: a silver thread of creativity that reflected in every curved pane of glass he installed.
As concept car culture marches on, the legacy of the aircraft-style canopy lives in each bold prototype that dares to replace its roof with glass. These cars taught us that automotive design can break free from traditional constraints and still be beautiful and inspiring. They remind modern designers to play with light, to challenge how people interact with cars, and to occasionally throw practicality to the wind in favor of pure spectacle – because that’s how progress is often made. And while we may not yet commute in full-canopy cars, many of us secretly wish we could.
