In 1986, Kevin Verduyn designed a concept car model for Chrysler called the Navajo. The concept never went beyond the clay model stage, but when Chrysler acquired
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. in 1987, the design was resurrected and with some fairly minor tweaks, turned into the Portofino. The Portofino was built by
Coggiola of
Turin, Italy on a lengthened
Jalpa chassis, giving the car a
mid-engine rear-wheel drive layout. It also used the Jalpa's 3.5 L
V8 water-cooled engine and 5-speed manual
transmission. The engine could rev to 7,000 rpm, with 64.6 bhp/liter. The Portofino featured dual
scissor doors, enclosing a pillarless passenger compartment. The front doors pivoted forward and upward, as in Lamborghini's
Countach. The rears were also scissor-style, but pivoted upward to the rear. The logo on the hood featured the Lamborghini bull inside the Chrysler
Pentastar. While the Portofino was a one-of-a-kind concept car and while Chrysler ownership of Lamborghini would not survive, the concept's design would inform and influence Chrysler cars for the next two decades. The wide-and-low stance and the open-plan interior would become the hallmark of the Chrysler
LH body vehicles and their "
cab-forward" design standard (which was extensively marketed as such). The triangular headlights and dual notched rear indicators would find their way directly to the first generation
Dodge Intrepid and would serve as key design points throughout that vehicle's existence. ==Prototype==