Cisitalia 202 Pininfarina
1947 Cisitalia 202
The story of Cisitalia began in Turin, Italy, in 1946. Founded by the eclectic entrepreneur Piero Dusio and the driver Piero Taruffi, it initially focused on the development of a single-seater, the D46 which, thanks to a number of sporting successes and the iconic image of Tazio Nuvolari who continued to race despite the steering wheel becoming detached, shot the brand into the spotlight. This increased popularity gave Cisitalia the motivation to expand its range with a small sports car for road use based on the mechanics of the D46, which would go on to represent a fundamental chapter in the history of motoring. The first version of the Cisitalia 202, known as the 202 CMM (Coupé Mille Miglia) and initially designed by Dante Giacosa, the creator of the Fiat 500, together with the technical director of Cisitalia, Giuseppe Savonuzzi, was presented as a very aerodynamic and innovative car, with a streamlined tail and two very prominent shark fins on the rear. This was the starting point for Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina to create the 202 Gran Sport, whose exquisite shapes were the culmination and perfection of everything experimented previously: the bonnet, body, mudguards and headlights were all perfectly harmonized, creating a truly timeless design. Presented in 1947 at the Mostra della Carrozzeria in the Triennale, Milan and the Paris Motor Show of the same year, it won the Coppa d’Oro award at the Concorso d’Eleganza in Villa d’Este in the same year. The Cisitalia 202 Gran Sport was called “a sculpture in motion” in 1951 when it was chosen for an exhibition along with seven other cars at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMA). Since 1972, it has been on permanent display. The 202 can rightly be considered the first example of the modern sports car and its lines have had a strong impact on the design aesthetics of the famous Turin coachbuilder, breaking with tradition and introducing a number of original style concepts. The 202 was built on top of a redesigned chassis and was the first production car equipped with a tubular chassis, while the mechanics were based on numerous Fiat components starting from the 1089cc four-cylinder engine derived from the 1100 and tuned to develop 66 horsepower. Over the course of production from 1946 to 1952 the design evolved but remained essentially the same, also because, at the time, small series cars were often bodied by different coachbuilders, in this case the Farina Ateliers and to a lesser extent those of Vignale. Despite the palpable quality of the design, the advanced mechanics that made it very competitive on the track, including a second place overall by Nuvolari in the Mille Miglia of 1947, Cisitalia did not have a significant commercial success. Less than 200 examples were built over a period of just five years.
Pininfarina Modulo
1970 Pininfarina Modulo
The Modulo ideally closes with its futuristic spaceship-with-wheels lines the era of cars created for innovation. The years that followed have forced manufacturers to find a compromise between innovation and function, losing the charm that a model like this will forever guarantee over time. No one could possibly imagine that the chassis and the V12 engine of a powerful, race-winning Ferrari such as the 512 S is hidden beneath such unusual and futuristic forms. The year is 1970, Pininfarina and Bertone are battling it out to see which is the more innovative and the designer Paolo Martin comes up with something that took the world by storm: the Modulo. An object of research, an idea taken to the extreme, utopian or provocative. After being presented in Geneva, the Modulo drew the attention of visitors to the Italian pavilion at the Osaka EXPO and went on to receive numerous prizes and awards. The Modulo also required quite a lot of agility to get on board: in fact, the windshield and part of the roof have to move forward to allow access to the passenger compartment. The fluid line is as spectacular as it is effective thanks to the reduced front section and the characteristic Ferrari red band over the almost white colour that wraps around the car. Fun fact: at its first appearance in the form of the scale model, the Modulo was painted black, but without a doubt, the light colour emphasizes the shapes even more – shapes that are now, let’s not forget, more than 50 years old and still remain avant-garde to this day. The car now belongs to James Glickenhaus who bravely got it up and running, which was not very well received by purists. It has made appearances at the world's most important concours d'elegance including Villa d'Este and Pebble Beach.
Modulo Mascherone
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1970 and winner of 22 international design awards, the Modulo shattered conventional automobile norms and stands as a pinnacle of Italian and global automotive design. But how is a model of this kind built? The first step involves constructing the buck using two techniques: one originating in Modena, specifically tailored for racing cars, utilizing iron rods commonly referred to as “filone,” and the other method involves the creation of a life-size wooden buck that’s identical to the final vehicle. This marriage of pure concept and the original structure is realized through meticulously handcrafted, hand-beaten panels, refining the car’s distinctive contours. The wooden buck is much more solid and is not built around the mechanics, so it must be ensured that the bodywork does not interfere with any of its components. Though costlier, this approach simplifies production compared to the "filone,” as the buck's substantial mass enables the wood to be directly sculpted with hammers during the finishing stage. Naturally, the bodywork was made of individual sheet metal pieces, and how they were “cut” was determined by the panel beater and based on the limits of achievable shapes. It was a sort of preliminary study that required considerable expertise. The panel beater adeptly manoeuvred to mould and gradually married the bodywork, achieved by skilfully “stretching” and manipulating the metal with the buck. Many types of hammers were used, getting smaller and smaller as the final shape approached. Once finished, the piece was placed onto the buck, meticulously adjusting the contours to ensure seamless continuity with adjacent components. Then the welding and bodywork was completed. Ultimately, the Modulo is a vehicle projected towards the future, yet its construction technique remains firmly grounded in tradition
