Motor Authority - blog Tag: Pininfarina

It's been almost four years since James Glickenhaus commissioned his custom Pininfarina-penned Ferrari Enzo-based P4/5, but the excitement has begun to build back up to a head after a cryptic message on an enthusiast forum hinting at a possible endurance racer based on the car. Today a new rendering of what the car might look like from Michiel Van Den Brink has surfaced.

Glickenhaus himself posted to a forum in late September, saying simply, "I am seriously investigating a proposal to make P 4/5 Competizione and enter her in a major 24 hour race. There are a LOT of stars that would have to align for this to happen but it's not...

It's been almost four years since James Glickenhaus commissioned his custom Pininfarina-penned Ferrari Enzo-based P4/5, but the excitement has begun to build back up to a head after a cryptic message on an enthusiast forum hinting at a possible endurance racer based on the car. Today a new rendering of what the car might look like from Michiel Van Den Brink has surfaced. Glickenhaus himself posted to a forum in late September, saying simply, "I am seriously investigating a proposal to make P 4/5 Competizione and enter her in a major 24 hour race. There are a LOT of stars that would have to align for this to happen but it's not impossible..." That teaser was then followed up by a hint that the car could show up with a "serious effort at a major race" with a "chance to do well." That narrows the possibilities of endurance races somewhat, including the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring. Featured in the thread is a rendering of what a racing P4/5 might look like, also created by Michiel Van Den Brink, a small version of which is included here. The blue livery on the car in that image is an homage to the legendary North American Racing Team, or NART, used to promote Ferrari endurance racing in the U.S. between 1958 and 1982. The information and discussion is buried in a nearly 300-page forum thread over at FerrariChat, but the magic starts at around page 285 if you want to have a read for yourself. For the latest discussion, there's a newer 15-page thread also at FerrariChat here. For Michiel Van Den Brink's high-resolution renderings, plus a complete run-down on what will need to happen for this project to come to reality, head on over to his post at Coachbuild. Read More

There's no denying that Volkswagen's cars, especially the not-for-U.S.-consumption Scirocco, have stepped up their game in the looks department lately. That change is thanks in part to Flavio Manzoni, VW Group's head of creative design. But the design language developed under Manzoni had better last VW a while, as the latest reports out of Italy indicate Ferrari has stolen Manzoni out from under them.

The new job as the head of Ferrari's design shop doesn't start until January 1, 2010, but it's already being widely reported in the European press.

Part of Ferrari's choice of Manzoni as the new design chief is the desire to develop its own...

There's no denying that Volkswagen's cars, especially the not-for-U.S.-consumption Scirocco, have stepped up their game in the looks department lately. That change is thanks in part to Flavio Manzoni, VW Group's head of creative design. But the design language developed under Manzoni had better last VW a while, as the latest reports out of Italy indicate Ferrari has stolen Manzoni out from under them. The new job as the head of Ferrari's design shop doesn't start until January 1, 2010, but it's already being widely reported in the European press. Part of Ferrari's choice of Manzoni as the new design chief is the desire to develop its own in-house design team that will allow it to rely less--or possibly not at all--on Pininfarina. The close relationship between Ferrari and Pininfarina has spawned some of the most striking cars in history, however, so enthusiasts may mourn the transition presaged by Manzoni's hiring. The Pininfarina P4/5 built on a Ferrari Enzo chassis for James Glickenhaus is just one example of the duo's gifts to automotive history. Other fantastic vehicles from the past include the Ferrari 500 Mondial, the 250 GT and its many variants, the Testarossa o the 1980s, the legendary F40, the 575 M Maranello, and, though it's not always recognized as a "true Ferrari", the Dino. More recently, the 612 Scaglietti, F430 and California were also Pininfarina-penned creations. Manzoni will report directly to CEO Amedeo Felisa when he comes on board next year. [Auto Motor & Sport] Read More

Form versus function - it's a classic debate, and one with strong arguments on both sides. As much as sports cars are tools for going fast, they are dynamic works of art as well. In the case of the Ferrari 458 Italia, it is both, and in this video Pininfarina president Paolo Pininfarina explains why.

Along with the glut of new information and interior shots released this morning, Ferrari has also released a new video of the 458 Italia, explaining how the car's elegant styling and close attention to detail also perform real aerodynamic functions.

Though we'll take any excuse to get more close-up looks at a well-executed Italian supercar,...

Form versus function - it's a classic debate, and one with strong arguments on both sides. As much as sports cars are tools for going fast, they are dynamic works of art as well. In the case of the Ferrari 458 Italia, it is both, and in this video Pininfarina president Paolo Pininfarina explains why. Along with the glut of new information and interior shots released this morning, Ferrari has also released a new video of the 458 Italia, explaining how the car's elegant styling and close attention to detail also perform real aerodynamic functions. Though we'll take any excuse to get more close-up looks at a well-executed Italian supercar, it's also an object lesson that form and function aren't always mutually exclusive. Check out the video to see for yourself, and pay attention around the 1:00 minute mark to see how F1 technology may have trickled down to the front wing/intake area, allowing the aerodynamic surfaces to deform under load to increase the angle of attack and improve downforce. [Ferrari] Read More

If you've ever wanted to own a stake in an illustrious Italian luxury automotive design house, now may be the perfect time with reports emerging that Italy's Pininfarina family will be selling off their majority stake in the company.

Reportedly, the family owners of Pininfarina have already engaged the services of an Italian bank to sell their 50.7% stake held by Pincar, the Pininfarina family's company. The news highlights the difficulty that luxury coachbuilders are facing from the financial crisis and the resulting drop in demand for their services and products, a situation that has had rival Italian coachbuilder Bertone on the back foot...

If you've ever wanted to own a stake in an illustrious Italian luxury automotive design house, now may be the perfect time with reports emerging that Italy's Pininfarina family will be selling off their majority stake in the company. Reportedly, the family owners of Pininfarina have already engaged the services of an Italian bank to sell their 50.7% stake held by Pincar, the Pininfarina family's company. The news highlights the difficulty that luxury coachbuilders are facing from the financial crisis and the resulting drop in demand for their services and products, a situation that has had rival Italian coachbuilder Bertone on the back foot for some time now. Despite seeking to sell off their majority stake in the company, an anonymous source within the Pininfarina company revealed to Reuters that the family had "no intention of leaving completely", and the sale was a measure taken to comply with previously agreed upon debt stipulations with banks last year. With over half the company expected to go up for sale, speculation is rife as to who could step in to purchase Pininfarina. Last year we reported that Piero Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari's second son, Alberto Bombassei, chairman of Brembo, and the Marsiaj family, founders of the Sabelt seatbelt company have all considered investing in Pininfarina, along with Vincent Bollore, a French financier, and Ratan Tata, head of India's Tata conglomerate, who already announced its plans to invest. It seems Pininfarina's best chances for survival would come from having a group of investors, rather than a single controlling company, considering that if a large enough stake in Pininfarina was acquired by a rival company some of its contracts with auto manufacturers could be put at risk. 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia Read More

With a hexagon-centric theme and styling that looks like it was sent back through a space-time rift from 2020, the Bertone Mantide is a new and polarizing figure in the design

world. Soon, however, it may also be a prominent figure in the performance world as the owner of the car reportedly wants to take it to the Nurburgring and attempt to beat the scorching 7m 26.4s lap time set by the Corvette ZR1 – the same car on which the Mantide is based.

Designed and built by Jason Castriota of Bertone fame, the Mantide is a special one-off supercar built from carbon-fiber and magnesium around a Corvette ZR1 chassis. The use of the... With a hexagon-centric theme and styling that looks like it was sent back through a space-time rift from 2020, the Bertone Mantide is a new and polarizing figure in the design world. Soon, however, it may also be a prominent figure in the performance world as the owner of the car reportedly wants to take it to the Nurburgring and attempt to beat the scorching 7m 26.4s lap time set by the Corvette ZR1 – the same car on which the Mantide is based. Designed and built by Jason Castriota of Bertone fame, the Mantide is a special one-off supercar built from carbon-fiber and magnesium around a Corvette ZR1 chassis. The use of the lightweight materials meant designers were able to shave almost 250lb from the kerb weight of the already lightweight ZR1. Furthermore, aerodynamic aids similar to the ones used in F1 sees the Mantide feature 25% less drag and 30% more downforce than the ZR-1 on which it’s based. Not surprisingly, Castriota insists the Mantide is faster than the ZR1 and is very excited about the prospect of the car now tackling the Nurburgring. “It has been a dream of mine from the outset of this project,” Castriota told PistonHeads. “The logistics are not easy, as we’ll need to hire a professional driver – somebody who’s truly a Nurburgring expert like Stefan Roser – and then get the circuit closed for a few days.” Luckily for Castriota, the car’s owner, British-born financier and ‘gentleman racer’ Dan Watkins, is equally excited about the car racing at the Nurburgring and is willing to let a team push it to its limits around the ‘Green Hell’.Inside Jason Castriota's Project M Read More

Famed Italian coachbuilder and design house Pininfarina is most widely recognized for designing stunning cars like the Ferrari 599 but the company also dabbles every now and then in the area of coachbuilding special one-off creations for wealthy clients. Back in 2006 we saw the personalized Ferrari 612 P4/5 based on the Enzo supercar and today we have details about the new ‘Golden Ferrari’ based on the 599 GTB.

While the mechanicals may be borrowed from the modern 599, the styling is a not-too-subtle throwback to the lines seen on the Ferrari 330 LMB model that first appeared in the early 1960s.The front of the car also shares... Famed Italian coachbuilder and design house Pininfarina is most widely recognized for designing stunning cars like the Ferrari 599 but the company also dabbles every now and then in the area of coachbuilding special one-off creations for wealthy clients. Back in 2006 we saw the personalized Ferrari 612 P4/5 based on the Enzo supercar and today we have details about the new ‘Golden Ferrari’ based on the 599 GTB. While the mechanicals may be borrowed from the modern 599, the styling is a not-too-subtle throwback to the lines seen on the Ferrari 330 LMB model that first appeared in the early 1960s.The front of the car also shares some similarities with the 612 Scaglietti, which in itself was a throwback to the front-end designs seen in classic ‘60s Ferrari models. Perhaps most astonishing, however, is the open-topped design and the classically styled roll-bar, and while Pininfarina has not released much information about the car we expect a large number of resources went into this aspect of the vehicle. So just where can people see this one-off, 620hp (462kW) throwback to the famous Ferrari 330 LMB? Perhaps next time they pull into a Wal-Mart parking lot, in light of the fact that Wal-Mart's CEO Rob Walton is allegedly the lucky owner of the car. Via: Autoblog.nl Read More