Fiat: 126 years to build an empire, five to dismantle it Every so often Top Gear used to do those hagiographies about brands that “shaped motoring”. They did Ferrari. They did Aston. They did Porsche. They never quite did Fiat properly, and if you think about it for more than thirty seconds, that omission is … Read more
Lancia Sibilo: Gandini’s last wedge, a Stratos in alien clothing Picture this. Turin Motor Show, April 1978. The car industry is five years deep into a hangover that just won’t lift. The 1973 oil crisis has rewired everything. Big cars don’t sell anymore. Safety regulations are forcing designers to bolt rubber bumpers onto everything like … Read more
From refrigerator to grand tourer How Renzo Rivolta made the most improbable leap in Italian industrial history, hired a former Ferrari engineer, and built two cars with American hearts that still embarrass Maranello today There is an Italian gentleman you already know without realising it. He’s the one who in the 1950s ran a refrigerator … Read more
The GT That Sank Citroën and Took Maserati Down Too Citroën SM: how an Italian V6, a steering system that wouldn’t talk back, and a French manufacturer’s ambition turned the most advanced Grand Tourer of its era into the most expensive industrial bill in seventies European motoring Geneva Motor Show, March 1970. Citroën stand. A … Read more
Alfa Romeo Montreal: The Prototype-Engined GT That Arrived Late to Its Own Party Picture this scenario. You have access to one of the most exotic V8s ever produced in 1960s European motor engineering: a 90-degree, 2.6-litre, twin-cam-per-bank, dry-sump, cross-plane-crankshaft, SPICA mechanical fuel-injected unit, derived directly from the Tipo 33 sports racing prototype that Autodelta had … Read more
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
