Lancia Stratos HF Zero: the wedge that was 33 inches tall and won three world titles If you grew up watching Group B onboards, or if Sanremo and the Acropolis mean something to you because of Munari and the orange-and-white livery, you already know the Lancia Stratos. What you probably don’t know is that the … Read more
Lamborghini Marzal: One lap of Monaco, then forty years of nothing There’s a photograph from May 7th, 1967 that tells you everything you need to know about the Lamborghini Marzal. Grace Kelly is sitting in the passenger seat. Prince Rainier III is driving. The car has glass doors that run from the roofline all the … Read more
FIAT 131 ABARTH RALLY: The Saloon That Won Three World Championships How a family Fiat with a Ferrari-derived engine and a Bertone body swept the world’s rally stages Walk into a Fiat showroom in Italy in 1976 and ask for a 131 Mirafiori. The salesman would walk you toward a mid-sized family saloon with a … Read more
Ferruccio Lamborghini: the farmer who insulted Enzo Ferrari and built an empire The man who answered an insult with a V12 A 47-year-old tractor manufacturer walks into Enzo Ferrari’s office in Maranello and tells him his cars are rubbish. Ferrari tells him to go back to his tractors. Four months later, the tractor manufacturer has … Read more
FRANCO SCAGLIONE — THE GENIUS ITALY CHOSE TO FORGET There’s a letter Nuccio Bertone wrote on May 19, 1993. It reads: “I remember with great emotion your contribution to our project. I remember your sharpness in the shape of futuristic cars. I also remember our fierce discussions looking for excellence. Your passion and knowledge of … Read more
ALFA ROMEO B.A.T. 5, 7 AND 9 — WHEN ITALY INVENTED THE FUTURE WITH WOOL THREAD Turin, 1953. A man tapes wool threads all over a car’s bodywork. He drives it onto the road. Another car follows alongside, photographing it at speed. When they return to the workshop, the man studies the photos. He looks … Read more
BERTONE — THE FACTORY THAT INVENTED WHAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES AND THINK OF A SPORTS CAR There are names that need no introduction and then there’s Bertone, which doesn’t even need you to say the full name. You say Bertone and you’re already seeing a car. You don’t know which one, … Read more
LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH: WHY THE MOST FAMOUS SUPERCAR IN HISTORY WAS ALSO THE WORST Let’s start with what the Countach actually was. Not what it looked like — what it was. It was a car with no rear visibility. Literally none. The V12 and its intake scoops occupied the space where a rear window should have … Read more
Automobili Estrema Fulminea — 2,040 HP Born in a WhatsApp Group During a Pandemic There’s one sure way to know if someone has what it takes. It’s not looking at how many times they’ve won. It’s looking at how many times they’ve got back up after losing everything. Gianfranco Pizzuto put $2 million into Fisker … Read more
MARCELLO GANDINI: THE GENIUS BERTONE NEVER LET SIGN HIS OWN CARS At sixteen, they gave him money to buy a Latin textbook. He bought a combustion engine manual written by Dante Giacosa instead. That act of rebellion defines everything that followed. Because Marcello Gandini wasn’t born to study what he was told. He was born … Read more
The Lamborghini Miura: The Bull That Invented the Modern Supercar Every car has a father. But very few cars are the father of everything that came after. The Lamborghini Miura is that car. This isn’t hype. It’s not marketing speak. It’s a verifiable fact: before the Miura, the concept of a “supercar” as we know … Read more
