At the Turin Exhibition Giugiaro presented the 1978 Megagamma – that had replicated the layout of the 1976 New York taxi which had been conceived to rationalize a semi-public vehicle in line with the terms of a competition sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art of New York – thus introducing new concept of a compact, yet sleekly tall, up-market motor car:” Passengers must be seated in a more vertical position (thus improving the height of the driver and passenger compartment and reducing the environmental impact of the vehicle. Less public space taken up by car means an improved flow of road traffic and more available parking spaces”.)

	click to enlarge click to enlarge

The first space wagons, known as ‘people carriers’ and vans, would be developed only later, when the industry and the market were ready for them (Nissan Prairie, Mitsubishi Chariot, Chrysler T115, Renault Espace). Meanwhile, that insight of 1978 confirms the designer and technologist’s ability to foresee and – why not – to trigger off or prompt new trends.
Not that people carriers and vans did not exist before Megagamma came out, but they were regarded more like small motor homes rather than large motor cars.
In Europe, the challenge posed by Megagamma was like a thunderbolt from the blue causing amazement and a fair share of criticism from the large manufacturing houses.

Giugiaro’s passion for compact, multi-use, up-market people carriers lead him to put dozens of show cars on display over the following years, each and every one confirming the soundness of his formula: among them were the Capsula, the Asgard, the Columbus, the Lexus Landau, the Structura and, last but not least, the Maserati Buran.
The Maserati Buran, the touring flagship of the Maserati house, was (and is) imposing: nearly 5 meters in length, confidently tall (1630 mm) and generously wide (1950 mm). Albeit aggressive, access is easy, the second door is sliding and the interior can be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.