Auto Design

By Giancarlo Perini ©

Bertone plans to show two design works on the Jaguar theme at the Geneva Motor Show. In addition to the Jaguar B 99, already unveiled in the past few days by friendly magazines, there will be also a “racing” derivative in GT2 style. Mike Robinson, director of design and brand manager, is indeed putting the final touches to a second show-model that will be on the company stage at the Show. That is the Jaguar B99 GT.

The B99 GT is indeed a design evolution presented as a full scale model. The approach is similar to the one taken in the past by Italdesign when they used the full scale model built to create the show-car to present a additional “design” through upgrading, tuning and graphic work. Read the rest of this entry »

Reports published in Modena by the local newspaper suggest that Fiat Spa has plans to dramatically increase output of its Maserati brand raising annual volume to some 50 thousand units with the launch of new rear wheel driven models sharing platform with the new Chrysler 300 and a derivative Alfa Romeo model. Read the rest of this entry »

Can it just be a meaningless coincidence than 50% of the winners of the Car of the Century awards presented to top personalities of the Twentieth Century have been friends for almost 40 years and although both over 70, have a lot to share under the roof of Italdesign-Giugiaro?

Late in 1999, a jury of 132 professional automotive journalists from 33 different countries, under the presidency of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, awarded the title of Car of the Century’s to Ford’s T Model and the same awards to four top personalities in the car industry through the past century.

Their choice made up for a very impressive panel: Giorgetto Giugiaro was elected Car Designer of the Century, Ferdinand Porsche, Car Engineer of the Century, Henry Ford I Entrepreneur of the Century and Ferdinand Piëch Car Executive of the Century. Read the rest of this entry »

Those of you who read Car Styling magazine might have been puzzled by my report on the Geneva motor show published in the latest (and last?) issue of the magazine.
For some mysterious accident that are more common in the printed press than you can image my text was cut and mixed up. For a more accurate reading and for the records I am publishing here the original text. Just as a sign of respect for my readers.

Official statistics show that the latest and 80th Geneva Motor Show set a new record for “premieres”, with as many as eighty “new cars”, or so, unveiled for the first time there. Now, considering the space in the magazine is not growing with the number of new cars at motor shows, let’s go straight to the point and answer the usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?

First I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,  Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bertone has announced that the dream car they have designed over the Maserati chassis shared by the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione will be named Pandion. The choice is consequent with Bertone’s tradition of naming their spectacular show car with animal names, such as the Alfa Romeo Testudo, Canguro, Carabo and Delfino. Read the rest of this entry »

The two-seater spider/roadster by Pininfarina

In addition to the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulietta, designed in house, there will be at least two more Alfa Romeo dream-cars to look and scrutinize at the Geneva Motor Show opening early this March. Read the rest of this entry »

LILLI BERTONE HAS FULL CONTROL OF “STILE BERTONE”.

Lilli Bertone, the strongly minded widow of the late Nuccio Bertone, is reportedly the only owner of the Stile Bertone design think tank as of July 28^th. After the Turin Court ruled that Mrs. Bertone has the right to a minimal majority stake in the company, with the remaining 49.9periodical in the hands of her two sisters, the Bertone matriarch has succeeded in buying them out and ensure herself 100% of the stakes into Stile Bertone. Read the rest of this entry »

Italy, August 6th, 2009.

The Bertone Saga is coming to an end these days as the Italian government has reviewed the very few offers presented from five bidders, only three of which met the procedure formality and the expectations of the Appointees (namely: granted a job to all Carrozzeria Bertone workers).

The job of Minister Claudio Scajola was simple and easy. Perhaps just a formality.

The first of the three bidders that made it to the deadline was interested just in the premises and facilities of the coachbuilding industrial complex of Carrozzeria Bertone; one only wanted the Bertone brand name, logo and Archive; the third one wanted both. Read the rest of this entry »

Different designers have different approach to communication, publicity and image.

Even before starting his new Corvette ZR1 Mantide, Jason Castriota, designed and organised a massive communication campaign banking on internet, video-clip and photo shooting. By the time the Mantide was ready for its unveling everyone knew about it.

On the contrary Ercole and Paolo Spada entirely focused on what they love most: car design. They did not care much about marketing, public relations, photo shooting et all. When it was first unveiled in Monte Carlo last year only those belonging to the inner circles of design had heard about it, via internet of course. Than came the printed press.

Through the months passed since that unveiling, it has emerged that the Spada Codatronca is not the easiest car to photograph and based on the pictures that have appeared so far it was easy to either love or hate the car.

Time had come for the Spada to realize that someone had to look at the Codatronca with the eyes of a photographer and they have organised a photo shooting (and many hours of photoshop, or a similar software) , to present their very special Corvette ZR1 in a different perspective. Obviously the growing rivality between the Codatronca and Mantide is playing a role. For the good of car designers and the public.

Here, I am glad to be the first to offer you a selection of “different perpectives” of the Spada Codatronca. Well I would b, if only we could manage to get Flickr work as it is intended to. Come back until the link to the photo gallery works all right. Thank you

Complete Photo Gallery:

According to some reports, Stile Bertone has stated that it plans to accept up to ten orders for their Corvette ZR1 Mantide “one off”, each carrying a price tage of 2 million dollars. That is some 1.6 million euros, just 0.1m euros higher than the price Jason Castriota mentioned when I talked to him at the Villa d’Este Concorso a couple of weeks ago. The add-on is probably the price of the full-optional ZR1 serving as the starting point for their job. Read the rest of this entry »