Auto Design

Part 1. The Dream. (See Part 2. The Reality)

  First written for Car Styling, Issue 175 (Tokyo, November 2006).

* Stories and cars from recent past you may like to read and see again.

This story is not about a new car, or a supercar.

This story is about a man and his passion for beautiful, powerful and extraordinary cars. Ferrari and just a few more.

I  confess I love him. Even though I have not met him so far, nor seen him person and despite the fact that he is actually threatening my job by telling everybody the entire story as it develops. It does it not for money but just for the pleasure of sharing his passion for Ferrari and Internet. He has done it long before I, as a professional journalist, got a clue of what is going.

Why do I love him? Simply because he is a generous and such a passionate man that he needs to share his passion with everybody else. His passion is simply too much for himself.

Sharing to me means joy, happiness, giving and taking, and I love this. Go to this web site: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92754&page=5 (after registering with FerrariChat.com) and you will see what I mean. His pen name is Napolis.

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Part 2. The Reality. (See Part 1. The Dream)

  First written for Car Styling, Issue 175 (Tokyo, November 2006).

* Stories and cars from recent past you may like to read and see again.

THE REALITY OF THE 2006 FERRARI P4/5 BY PININFARINA.

 We said that this is the story of a man, Yet we shall not forget the car, and what a supercar!

The 2006 Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina is absolutely unique, and that is not just because there is only one in the world but for its outstanding concept and contents: heritage, technical sophistication, extreme performance and design.

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A tragic traffic accident has killed Andrea Pininfarina, 51, this morning shortly after 8 o’clock.

The Chairman and CEO of the famous Pininfarina Spa, Andrea Pininfarina was the third generation member of the family and the grandson of founder Pinin Farina. He leaves his wife, Cristina Pollion di Persano and three heirs: Benedetta, Sergio and Luca, 22, 20 and 14 respectively.

August is holiday time in Italy and everybody is supposed to be at sea or on the mountains but not Andrea, who was going to his office at the Cambiano headquarters. According to his agenda, today the ultimate Pininfarina fuoriserie, the Rolls-Royce Hyperion was going to be shipped to California’s Pebble Beach event, after his final approval.

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“Technology is not a constraint but a further incentive to designer’s creativity.”

“Before the end of 2009, we will be offering the Pininfarina electric car.”

Andrea Pininfarina, 2008.

In this interview, published in Spring 2008, Andrea Pininfarina how the company is changing:  from the futuristic concept car Sintesi, to the challenge of the  electric car, from the development of the brand to the expansion of services for the world automotive industry… Read the rest of this entry »

“the 2009 electric car slots into this process and will benefit of some of the styling and technological ideas presented in Sintesi.”

Andrea Pininfarina, March 2008.

The Show Car.

Sintesi is Pininfarina’s futuristic concept that explores new territories for designers who -being free of the constrains of a bulky internal combustion engine – can organise the sources of energy and motion for the automobiles of the future in a different way.

In the Sintesi the engine has been replaced by four electric motors integrated in the four wheels and powered by four fuel cells installed close to the wheels. Indeed, Sintesi could have been any type of car but Pininfarina designers opted for a sleek, very aerodynamic (Cx is 0,27), four-seater, four-door coupé.

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