Reborn Willys introduces retro-styled AW 380 Berlineta

A small Italian company named Maggiora has brought the Willys name back from the dead after a 51-year hiatus. The company’s first car, a retro-styled coupe called AW 380 Berlineta [sic], was presented at the Bologna Motor Show that is currently taking place in Italy.
The AW 380 Berlineta borrows styling cues from the Renault-based Alpine A108 that was built in the early 1960s. Renault was not involved in the project, it is busily developing its own 21st century Alpine, but Maggiora can get away with using the design because Willys-Overland’s Brazilian division briefly built a version of the A108 called Interlagos.

The AW 380 Berlineta is powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged flat-six engine that generates 610 horsepower at 6,750 rpms and 612 lb-ft. of torque at 4,500 rpms. Willys is keeping the engine’s origins a secret but the flat-six is more than likely sourced from the Porsche parts bin.

Linked to a six-speed automatic transmission controlled by shift paddles, the turbo six propels the Berlineta from zero to 62 mph in 2.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 211 mph. Fuel economy checks in at 25 mpg when the coupe is driven with a featherlight right foot.

A 93-year old Turin-based coachbuilder named Carrozzeria Viotti has been contracted to build 110 examples of the Willys AW 380 Berlineta starting next month. Each one will carry a base price of €380,000, a sum that converts to nearly $467,000. In spite of the astronomical price tag, Maggiora says that the first Willys has already been spoken for.