1988 Italdesign Aztec is bizarre in all kinds of ways, street legal and for sale (UPDATE: Unsold at $165,000)
UPDATE: The auction for this Italdesign Aztec ended with a final bid of $165,000. The bid did not meet the reserve, so the car has not sold yet. It could come up again at a different auction or classified listing in the future. The text has been updated to reflect this.
We've featured split-cockpit concept cars for sale on our site before, but nothing has been quite as insane as this 1988 Italdesign Aztec that's up for auction on BringATrailer.com right now. It's one of a handful of production versions of the Giugiaro-penned concept car of the same name. But you would only know that because of the VIN and even a sticker proclaiming that it passed EPA emissions testing. The rest is pure '80s futurism.
Obviously the first mind-blowing design decision are the split driver and passenger seats, housed behind jet-fighter cockpits with removable, clear roof panels. The interior does have a passthrough in the middle, but occupants are kept fairly separate. To get in, the cockpit panel lifts up, and a conventional door opens out. Actually, before doing that, the person hopping in has to punch in a three digit code on a panel on the outside. The code buttons also will open up other parts of the car, and there's a cheat sheet on each side of the car to remind you which codes correspond with which parts.
Other wild exterior styling choices include the huge skirts over the wheels, and the detailing on the sides that look like they hide wild hydraulics and electronics. And they sort of do, as apparently this car has a hydraulic jack system underneath. Those side panels even house engine boost gauges visible from the outside. Why? We don't know, but we're glad they're there.
Inside, the driver gets a steering wheel with a funky, asymmetrical shape and a long, organic gauge pod. On top of the pod is a panel that lights up and reflects off the canopy to provide a heads-up display. On the passenger side, there's a faux steering wheel that works as a grab handle, and behind it is a rally computer. In the middle is a fairly basic set of '80s stereo equipment and the shifter for the five-speed manual transmission.
That transmission is mated to a turbocharged inline-five Audi engine that makes a claimed 247 horsepower (250 PS), and 266 pound-feet of torque. The car even has all-wheel drive. We'd love to look underneath to see how everything is hooked up, because the engine is mounted in the middle and in a transverse manner, as opposed to the longitudinal, front mounting of an Audi with the same engine.
It's an all-around stupendously wild machine, and it technically still can be yours. The auction just ended with a final bid of $165,000, but it missed the reserve, so it didn't sell. If you're still in the market for it, keep an eye out. Regardless if you could or couldn't afford it, definitely check out the listing for even more photos and information on this car.
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