la tradizione del nuovo
pininfarina
15 September 2024 • Written By Virgiliu Andone
I can hardly imagine a better sounding name than Pininfarina. It comes from the nickname of its founder, Battista “Pinin” Farina and it’s probably an excellent example of how great something as mundane as flour can sound in Italian. The Turin-based design house opened its doors in 1930 and just five years later its Corso Trapani plant would deliver one of its first landmark masterpieces for Alfa Romeo.
The 6C 2300 Pescara Coupé Aerodinamico was a pared-back essentialist design that managed to achieve elegance by reducing the style to the minimum of lines imaginable and then making sure each and every one of them is a delight to the eyes. Back then they did this in the name of aerodynamics, one of the best possible excuses designers ever used to justify voluptuously swooping lines that feel much more inspired by a passionate summer encounter on the beach of Portofino in the golden hour than by a recent discussion with an engineer during a trip to the wind tunnel.
Times were changing and Battista was not one to be left behind. Italy was in the midst of an industrial renaissance, fueled by American post-war investment. Cars were no longer a luxury reserved for the stratospheric elite, but something everyone could aspire to enjoy. This was the height of the dolce vita, a now iconic lifestyle marked by cappuccinos, black plastic sunglasses, suits, Vespas, paparazzi and Battista’s Alfa Giulietta Spider. 27,000 of them would be produced by Pininfarina, who penned the “fair girl” in 1955. They would later go on to design and produce its successor and, finally, the 916-series GTV and Spiders, that closed the circle some four decades after it all started.
Oscar bought his green 1997 GTV early last year, from Malaga. On the way home to Blanes, on the Costa Brava, the 2.0 turbo Busso under the hood got him in trouble for the first time. The 45-year-old car mechanic collected two speeding tickets for his efforts. A timely reminder that the V6 truly honours the Gran Turismo Veloce badge. It’s Oscar’s first Alfa, after having loved the designs for ages. He keeps it original, save for the wheels borrowed from the Bertone-designed Alfa GT. It’s a classic look that fits the car well, but I for one feel that the original ones are massively underrated.
