Lone Stars: the Eighties

Automotive design milestones are often one-offs. Lorenzo Ramaciotti guides us through a remarkable story.

Throughout the history of the automobile, there have been numerous lone stars which, when you take a look at them today, continue to shine with their own light. None of them were created to become production cars, but rather to send out a message that was uninhibited by industrial and marketing constraints, signed by designers and the manufacturers themselves. Here comes the next part of our series on Lone Stars, based on intensive conversations with renowned Italian designer Lorenzo Ramaciotti: the 1980ies.

The years of sacrifice and protests gave way to hedonism strongly linked to the liberalism of the then US Republican president, Ronald Reagan. Square shapes were abandoned for the emergence of biodesign. Among the lone stars of this decade, place of honour here goes to the 1986 Corvette Indy, a true icon of biodesign without a single hard edge. Another significant example is the Pininfarina Mythos, a monument to post Testarossa ostentation. With the elegance and grace that distinguishes him, Ramaciotti, the car’s father, fears a conflict of interest. But the car is more than worthy of a mention, no matter who penned it.

1987

The Ferrari Mythos: The change of style of this decade was perfectly interpreted by Pininfarina with this car that overturned the stylistic approach of the Testarossa. From the taut and strongly ostentatious lines of the latter, this design introduced a soft minimalism that anticipated the future 456 GT and 360 Modena.

Ferrari Mythos

1988

The Peugeot Oxia: this elegant interpretation of a sports car with soft lines anticipated the path that would take Peugeot on to a race win at Le Mans in 1992, just four years later.

Peugeot Oxia

1989

The 1987 Alfa Romeo SE 048 SP Group C: it does not seem accidental that the large, indispensable wing was painted black – the beautiful and functional red car body, in fact, interpreted the needs of sport through a refined take on biodesign.

1987 Alfa Romeo SE 048 SP Group C

1989

The Cadillac Solitaire: General Motors’ pursuit of a style for cars intended for long motorway journeys began in 1988 with the four-door Cadillac Voyager, and evolved, a year later, with the sleek lines of the Solitaire. These two concepts from General Motors confirmed the international design trend of those years.

Cadillac Solitaire