This Concept Looks Like An F-Type From Jaguar’s Electric Future
The study created by IED in partnership with Italdesign can be adapted to use internal combustion, hybrid, or fully electric powertrains
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by Thanos Pappas
The Vision Rapida is the latest concept from IED, made in collaboration with Italdesign.
The goal was to create an affordable and versatile sporty fastback for the new generation.
The design can be adapted to any automaker and supports different powertrain types.
Every year, the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Turin gives its Transportation Design students a shot at something most car design hopefuls only dream of: building a full-scale concept in collaboration with a real-world automaker. For the 2023–2024 academic year, that automaker is Italdesign, and the result is the Vision Rapida, a compact, affordable sports car with a fastback silhouette and a 2+2 layout aimed squarely at younger drivers.
First impressions? The Rapida looks like something Jaguar’s current design team might cook up if they rebooted the F-Type for the EV era but accidentally pulled a little too much from the Type 00 Concept. Or maybe that’s just us.
The design brief called for a vehicle that lives in what IED calls the “underserved compact sports car segment,” specifically targeted at Gen Z. According to the school, “the thrill of driving a sports car should not be an unattainable privilege for a younger audience”, which explains the emphasis on accessibility and affordability over raw power or luxury pretensions.
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The Vision Rapida has classic front-engine, rear-wheel-drive proportions. Up front, there are aggressively styled headlights and a sculpted bumper that give the car a purposeful, planted look. Around back, the fastback tail is clean and functional, with an integrated spoiler that adds a bit of visual drama. While IED says the styling draws inspiration from “icons of the past,” the final product is unapologetically modern and avoids leaning too hard on retro callbacks.
IED itself says that the concept doesn’t follow the design language of any particular automaker, but it could be “adopted and adapted by any automotive brand”. This is consistent with the tradition of independent design firms like Italdesign that have worked for many clients in the past. Furthermore, the Rapida could adapt to different powertrains, including ICE, hybrid, and fully electric.
Pepe Photografia
There are no official renderings or photos of the interior just yet, but IED says the cabin is meant to embody “sportiness and simplicity” in a 2+2 layout. Think enveloping seats, tactile materials, and a few subtle design cues inspired by streetwear. It’s an interesting blend, but not a totally out-there move when designing for Gen Z, a generation more comfortable with cross-pollinating cultural references than any before it.
The concept measures 4,510 mm (177.6 inches) long, 1,860 mm (73.2 inches) wide, and 1,280 mm (50.4 inches) tall, with a wheelbase of 2,800 mm (110.2 inches). hat makes it longer than both the Toyota GR Supra and the Nissan Z, but still more compact than a Nissan R34 GT-R.
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Dario Lauriola, Exterior Designer at Italdesign, explained that the students wanted to create a car that reflected their generation’s values and aspirations. “With Rapida,” he said, “they wanted to respond to the lack of those small sports cars that offered young people fun and affordable driving experiences in the 1990s.”
Italdesign Business Development Officer Andrea Porta added: “Rapida captures the essence of JDM and recalls the cars and cultural products loved by Generation Z. Just like manga, video games, films and TV series that help today’s youth find themselves and create connections between different origins and generations, Rapida is ready to unite parents and children in a common passion for cars”.
Development of the Vision Rapida took place during the 2023-2024 academic year. The students worked for six months with the help of their professors and mentors from Italdesign. Following the design development, a full-scale static prototype was built in Italy by technical partners Italdesign and Scuderia Torino, with the help of technical sponsors Pirelli, OZ Racing and Lechler.
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IED used to unveil its concepts at the Geneva Motor Show, but with that event now out of the picture, it’s shifting gears. The Rapida will make its first public appearance at the Fuorisalone in Milan from April 7–13, before moving to the Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile in Turin, where it will be on display from April 15 through May 4.
