Auto Design

From Giancarlo Perini.

Sergio Pininfarina, a truly honourable member “for life” of the Italian Senate and a legendary figure of the Italian design and sports cars history has passed away last night (July 4th, 2012) at his home in Torino. He was 85.

Sergio Pininfarina was not elected Senator but was appointed, just like current Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, for his merits by the president of the Italian republic. In 2005.

Through his crystal clear life and career Sen. Pininfarina was elected member of the European Parliament and awarded the most prestigious awards by nations around the world, such as

The French Légion d’Honneur, Honorary Royal Designer for Industry, Foreign member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering science and Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan (2007) and Geneva (2008), but he was primarily the leader of the Italian design temple established by his father Pinin Farina and known world-wide with the Pininfarina name.

But he primarily was known and revered for his leadership in Italian design, following in the footsteps of his father, Pinin Farina, who established the Pininfarina name worldwide and helped make Italy synonymous with automotive styling leadership.

With him, Italian design and Italy loose a real Maestro.

When Pinin Farina reached a life-long co-operation agreement with Enzo Ferrari, it was his son Sergio who was appointed to ensure the success of the new alliance. Sergio Pininfarina delivered much more than that and today the Ferrari-Pininfarina is seen as a unique brand association worldwide.

Not a designer himself but quite a creative entrepreneur with a strong will and the elegance of a gentleman, he brought his company to the highest peak in the automotive design and coach-building business. He signed off most of the greatest Ferrari successes, built many successful sport cars for the carmakers around the world and created iconic design for Alfa Romeo, Cadillac, Fiat, Lancia, Peugeot and Rolls-Royce.

Under his direction Pininfarina designers created dream cars such as the Ferrari Modulo and the Ferrari Dino 206 C Competizione, and turned dreams into reality with the Alfa Romeo Spider and Duetto, the Fiar 124 Spider, a number of Peugeots, from the 403 to the 406 through the 504 and the 205; as well as their coupé and cabriolet derivatives. The Ferrari is a story apart. In more than half a century Pininfarina has created superlative sports cars that are legendary.

“An exceptional person, who connected his name indissolubly with our history and our success,” Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said in a  public statement, adding: “Sergio was one of the most important advocates of ‘Made in Italy’ all over the world, a man who gave Italy credibility and splendor.

“Calling his relation with Ferrari legendary is not enough. First with Enzo (Ferrari) and then with me, he planned some of the most iconic models, such as the Testarossa or the Enzo, just to name two.”

Harald Wester, CEO of Maserati, says Sergio Pininfarina, who oversaw design of the current Quattroporte in 2003 “was the force behind the return of the Pininfarina design on contemporary Maseratis. His place in automotive history is assured and huge.”

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Combining creativity with complete know-how and modern technology.

I would like to share with you this report recently published in Japan by Car Styling magazine. A special issue dedicated to the Italian Designers and “Carrozzeria”.

Within the territories of one-man-design-show, resisting in and around Torino, Paolo Martin keeps his creativity and design work running in many directions. As usual.  His hairs are whiter than ever but his genius is evergreen, just as it is the case for secluded Marcelo Gandini and public-persona Giorgetto Giugiaro.

He is one of the very few talents left that has a complete understanding of car design and body construction. One of the few men who can tackle any aspect of the process. As such he is a very precious heritage of the traditional art of coach building.

It is for this reason that he regrets that he receives less commission from the car, yacht and motorcycle industry these days of decline. He still has plenty of good ideas that could be turned into a successful project. Even more relevant he regrets he has few chances of passing over to the young generations his past experience, just as Maestro Giovanni Michelotti did with him when he was 16 years old.

On the other side, he is happy to take commissions from private investors and enthusiasts. He loves the human relations with them and the exchange of cultural input, be it from the Arabian Peninsula, the Far East or the Americas.

On the projects he develops for private customers he must keep the secret, unless authorized by his patron.

Recently, he was allowed to release some interesting design works he developed in the past couple of years.

Three projects he had a lot of fun to work with.

One for a multifunctional “Desert Running Suite” that combines a carry-on tent of some 100 square meters blossoming from a sort of very large 6×6 all-road heavy-duty vehicle carrying a small living room with all comfort and all the most sophisticated equipment that tycoons, VIP, government officials may want or need to take with them in the desert for a mission, a week-end excursion or a party.

One derivative also considers a sort of moving “ceremony hall on wheels for the desert”.

A sophisticated mechanism develops the huge tent in minutes and displays solar cell panels providing plenty of energy for the satellite communication centre and other amenities. The execution of the vehicle has been put on hold after the recent turmoil in Nord Africa.

The second project is a typical “coachbuilder” sportcar that is clearly inspired to the popular De Tomaso mid-engined V8 two-seater that the new “De Tomaso” company is to unveil at the Los Angeles auto show later this year. His project has not been commissioned by the company but by a private collector who was eager to see what could done at this time to revive the myth of the affordable supercar and have one built for himself.

The layout, dimensions and proportions are very modern and yet there is the de Tomaso DNA in this car.

This second project shows how Paolo Martin has kept up with the CAD and virtual modelling technologies and indeed he has developed the “2 Posti Sportiva 2012” in few weeks on his PC with all the technicalities integrated into the project and the basic data for quick and economical milling.

Probably Paolo Martin is the only star designer who emerged in the great old times (the 60ies and 70ies) of Italian coachbuilding and has developed his skill to confirm and visualize his design ideas through contemeporary virtual technology.

See his renderings for self-speaking evidence. Obviously we need not to comment on his own, very elegant and dynamic design for a modern mid-engined sport car.

We would simply add that we would love to see it in the real world.

We can show also a third project that Paolo Martin has developed on his own after the instigation of a journalist who asked him how he would design the Modulo of the third millennium.

In no time Martin penned what he calls the “Modulo Enzo”. A design that is absolutely up to the mythical name of “Modulo” and of Ferrari. Again, the project is not just a beautiful rendering created on a PC but a realistic vision (though futuristic, like he Modulo) of a super Ferrari. The car is feasible, with few concessions, and recently a famous connoisseur and collector has shown interest in having one built for himself.

That would certainly be a dream of millions enthusiasts coming true and a fantastic promotional vehicle for a high-tech company.

End of this report by Giancarlo Perini ©.

Few days after the teasing rendering, here is the official information on the roadster Codatronca Monza roadster soon to be on the stage of the Top Marques in Montecarlo. Obviously this is not an April Fish, as the M3 Pick-up posted yesterday.

For those of you who can’t wait to know everything about the latest creation by Ercole and Paolo Spada my edited report, here is a 1 to 1 reproduction of the company press release. Read the rest of this entry »

Paolo Martin, famous world-wide for just some of his many mythical designs of supercars, yachts, bikes and more has accepted to talk to young design in the “West meets East” Design Conference in Zagreb this week-end.

Martin is the designer who performer several one-man-show when creating stunning cars such as the Pininfarina F1 Sigma Grand Prix and the Pininfarina Ferrari Modulo and a number of Dino concept cars, including the yellow “Berllinetta” (actually named Dino Competizione) now owned by the famous enthusiast James Glickenhaus in New York.

For additional information about the Zagreb Automotive Design Conference go to: http://www.automotivedesignconference.com/

Martin will recall how he built the full scale Modulo during the summer holidays and how his project had to compete with the alternative proposal of Filippo Sapino for the Ferrari 512 S. Both show cars were eventually approved by Sergio Pininfarina and his broche in law, Renzo Carli. Both were outstanting successes.

Martin will also present his Modulo II design, based on the Ferrari Enzo and will be open to questions from the audience.

Over more than fifty years, Martin has worked for Michelotti, Bertone, Pininfarina, De Tomaso, Fiat, Nissan, BMW, Subaru, Piaggio, Gilera, Ferretti and Dassault Aviation.

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 »

By Giancarlo Perini ©

If designing cars is your dream and you have got the talent and all it take to become a professional, you have a unique chance to prove your potential to Walter De Silva, Fabrizio Giugiaro, Alessandro Dambrosio and Filippo Perini, through almost one year of learning process and eventually receive an invitation to be part of the team that will create a new car (or truck) for one of the 11 brands of the VW “Konzern”. Let’s just remind them: Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Italdesign-Giugiaro, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Scania, Skoda, VW, VW Nutzfahrzeuge. Read the rest of this entry »

By Giancarlo Perini ©

The official unveiling is just a week away. It will take place in Milano at the Pirelli Headquarters.

The pictures of the most exclusive among the best performing supercars that more than 1 million Euros (1.35 million dollars) can buy make it clear: this is really the ultimate cars to have or Maharajas and Sultans, but Hollywood producer, pop stars, finance and industrial tycoons, and well established royalties. Read the rest of this entry »

By Giancarlo Perini ©

In the clear light of Cape Town’s wharf, the all-new BMW 650i Cabriolet proudly shows its beauty and style. The latest generation of open-air luxury on wheels is longer, lower and wider but with its soft and rounded shapes it looks more compact, light and agile. Read the rest of this entry »

by Giancarlo Perini (c)

According to unofficial sources, Italdesign is set to unveil two show cars at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show early next March. They will be the first ones to be designed by Maestro Giorgetto Giugiaro after the company, he established in 1968, has been acquired by the Volkswagen Group, last May.

A glimpse at one of the two “product concepts” is said to be previewed, very discreetly, by the company with the Christmas memento sent to a limited number of friends, clients and journalists. This is indeed the reproduction of a sketch penned by the Maestro that shows the exterior design of an attractive two-doors, four-seater coupé that could well be regarded as the 2011 Scirocco by Giugiaro. The difference here is that the “new coupe” bear the emblem of Seat.

The Spanish brand is currently the weakest member of the VW family and as such the one that needs the greatest and most urgent attention by the Group. It only makes sense that Giugiaro talent and attention goes to Seat.

Some years ago, VW’s supremo Ferdinand Piëch said that Seat’s mission was to challenge and beat Alfa Romeo on its own ground. The mission is far to be accomplished despite its success in the World Touring Car Championship .Now, while Fiat is keeping Volkswagen “on hold” for the acquisition of Alfa Romeo, the German group wants to look again at the potential of the Seat brand and see what can be done, should the Alfa Romeo deal take too long a time. As such it is also a discreet message to Sergio Marchionne.

The second show-car from Giorgetto Giugiaro to be seen in Geneva is rumoured to be a new hatchback that could well be  the “2011 vision of a Golf” by Giugiaro.

Architecture by Giugiaro. Design by Pininfarina.

By Giancarlo Perini ©

Ferrari GG 50 by Giugiaro.

The replacement for the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, expected to premiere early next March at the Geneva Motor Show, will certainly break new ground on different fronts, according to well placed sources. Read the rest of this entry »