New Book About Iconic "Pininfarina: Masterpieces of Style"
Edited by Luciano Greggio
For almost 90 years, Pininfarina has been synonymous with Italian coachbuilding and also with some of the most iconic cars in the history of not only Italian but also worldwide motoring. As a result, Pininfarina has been recognized as the creator of true works of art.
There have been many books on Pininfarina, covering many aspects in detail, especially the firm’s work with Ferrari, but now we have a new book which brings the entire stylistic and industrial history of Pininfarina to life, not only as classical works of art, but also which recognizes Pininfarina as a true proponent of the “Made in Italy” phenomenon. Instead of being a detailed history of the firm, the book highlights the designs that epitomized Pininfarina’s Italian flair for aesthetic perfection.
There is a historical thread running though the book, so you can see the evolution of automotive design through the years and how Pininfarina not only kept up with changing design themes over the years but at many times fostered these changes.
It begins, of course, with Battista Farina, known as “Pinin”, who was the master craftsman who in 1930 founded in Turin the “Società Anonima Carrozzeria Pinin Farina”. The quality and the beauty of his creations soon established the firm’s reputation, and well before the outbreak of the Second World War it could boast magnificent bodies on Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Fiat chassis.
After the war, the creative instinct did not lessen, and 1947 saw the presentation of what many authorities consider a milestone in the history of Italian design, the Cisitalia 202. Between the 1950s and 1990s, the company produced iconic designs such as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider and the “Duetto”, the Lancia Aurelia B24 and the Flaminia, the Fiat Dino Spider and the 124 coupé, not to mention the innumerable bodies on Ferraris. Indeed, from 1952 onward Pininfarina (Pinin Farina then) had become Maranello’s coachbuilder of choice, and the numerous 250 GTs, 250 LM, 365 Daytona, 308 GTB, Testarossa and 288 GTO, among others, are all Pininfarina-bodied Ferraris. The recent separation of Ferrari and Pininfarina was painful for both sides but Pininfarina has such a reputation for design excellence in many fields that it can carry on alone.
This book also recounts the most recent history of this giant of Italian car design with all the latest products realized in particular for the worldwide market where the Pininfarina brand has an increasing presence. There is also a chapter devoted to Pininfarina Extra, a brand within the brand, which since 1986 has been taking a 360° approach to design – household products, buildings, trains, boats, etc.
The full story of this iconic Italian design firm is finally told in a single volume and the 216 pages are filled with good knowledgeable text and with a wealth of black and white and color photos. The size is 24x27 cms (9.5 x 10.6 inches), it is hardbound with jacket and the text is in English.
This is a pleasurable walk through the gallery of Pininfarina creations, a book to either enjoy from start to finish, or to browse as the mood takes you. Each Pininfarina design is a capsule narration of itself, as an object of merit on its own, as well as a link in a long-standing and glorious history.
The publisher, Giorgio Nada Editore, sells to private individuals by correspondence across the world through the Libreria dell’Automobile. For information of any kind, contact the following addresses:
Mail order department: Libreria dell’Automobile / International Motoring Bookstore Via Claudio Treves 15/17 - 20090 Vimodrone (Milano) - Italy Tel. ++39 (0)2 - 27 30 14 62 / 68 Fax ++39/02/27301454 E-mail: info@libreriadellautomobile.it E-mail: ordini@libreriadellautomobile.it Web site: www.libreriadellautomobile.it
At the same addresses, it is possible to request a free copy of the general catalogue of the Libreria dell’Automobile or the latest edition of the La Libreria dell'Automobile Magazine.
