The Myth of Italian Coachbuilders: Fantuzzi

In the 1950s and 1960s Modena became the global epicenter of racing cars, thanks largely to Maserati and Ferrari. During this period, due to cost and time constraints, the bodies of single-seaters and sports cars intended for racing were crafted by sheet metal artisans using the "filoni" technique. This involved shaping iron rods to define the three-dimensional shape and size of the car body, creating a full-scale mock-up, the so-called "filone". On this mock-up various aluminum pieces were shaped, then welded together and fixed to the steel tube frame, before being painted usually in the color red.

Fantuzzi was among the top sheet metal artisans of the era alongside Scaglietti. Born in 1903 Medardo Fantuzzi, alongside his brother Gino, moved to Modena in 1937 when Maserati relocated from Bologna after being acquired by the Orsi family. The Maserati brothers appreciated the Fantuzzis' work so much that in 1939 they invited Medardo to work on the racing car bodies directly at the Maserati factories. After World War II, Fantuzzi created masterpieces like the 250F single-seater, which won the Formula 1 World Championship in 1957 and models such as the A6GCS, 150S, 200S, 250S, 300S, 350S, 450S and the Eldorado single-seater for the Europe-America challenge.