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Pininfarina

new cars

Pininfarina Hyperion, Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe-Based Convertible To Premiere At Pebble Beach Concours

The coolest thing about the Pininfarina Hyperion isn't its swooping, yacht-influenced lines or abbreviated passenger compartment. It's that this isn't a concept car, it's a one-off coach-built special commissioned by a wealthy enthusiast. Other details on the Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe special haven't yet emerged, but expect to see the Hyperion in full at the Pebble Beach Concours in August. [via Pininfarina]

down on the street

1971 MGB-GT

Many, many cars have passed through my hands since I first picked up a '69 Toyota Corona for 50 bucks, but only a few really make me feel a twinge of regret when I think about letting them go. One such car is the British Racing Green '73 MGB-GT I owned for a few years in my early 20s; it was slow, handled like a garbage truck, went through $40 carburetor floats like other cars go through oil changes, and proved that all those Joe Lucas jokes are based on painful reality... but I still loved it. Perhaps this is the evil lure of the British Car, but I was finally able to heed the rule posted on a huge sign at the only British-car wrecking yard in Northern California: IF IT RUNS, SELL IT. This beat-to-hell MGB-GT, which could be a '71, '72, or '73, might be my old car, after a couple of decades of neglect. Sure, mine was pretty nice when I sold it, but a lot can happen in 20 years!
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found on ebay

Looking For A... Ferrari? 1983 Pininfarina Spider Azzura

Let's say you have a 1983 Pininfarina Spider Azzurra, which is a Fiat 124 built after Fiat handed production over to Pininfarina for a couple years (go here for the story), and you know it's something special. How do you show the world? Why, you convince the world it's actually a Ferrari, by dressing up the Fiat Twin Cam under the hood and then adding a great deal of body modifications. Hey, Fiat, Ferrari, what's the diff? They're both Italian, right? Don't forget the headlight shields and Von Dutch shift knob! Thanks to LTDScott for the tip.


sultan of brunei

The Sultan's Ferrari FX: Forerunner Of Flappy-Paddle Shifting

These days, paddle shifters are on everything from hatchbacks to luxury sedans. But not so long ago, they could only be found on certain exotica and racing cars. Some love 'em, but a lot of enthusiasts would rather have a good ol' fashioned third pedal and a stick. So who do we have to blame for this virus of sequential gearboxes? The man at fault may very well be the Sultan of Brunei. Back in the early '90s, his specially-designed Ferrari FX was the first road car to use a modern paddle-shift setup.
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sultan of brunei

A Garage Fit For a King: The Best Of The Sultan Of Brunei's Amazing Car Collection

Ferrari wagon-izations and hypercars bathed in magnetizing yellow are just a couple hints the Sultan of Brunei is perhaps the most Jalopnik head of state in the whole world. Like us, he seems to have a maddening obsession with odd cars. However, what sets him apart is his seemingly unending pot of money with which to manifest his wildest automotive fantasies. Although word on the streets of Bandar Seri Begawan is his fiscal fortunes have depleted as of late, before he sold off some of his assets, he and his family created what may be the most impressive car collection the world has ever seen. Although we already knew this, it wasn't until we were surfing the pages of our fave super car photo site that we realized the sheer height of awesome the collection truly achieved. Not only did they gather production cars, they commissioned the creation of entirely new models from manufacturers like Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Bentley. Hit the jump as we walk you through the crème de' le' crème of the massive collection of automotive exotica found in the garage of the Sultan of Brunei. More »

custom cars

Glickenhaus Ferrari P4/5 Heading To 2008 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix

Not doing anything in the beginning of April? Want to see James Glickenhaus' Pininfarina-designed Ferrari P4/5? Feel like going to Bahrain? Now's your chance to scratch all those itches at once. Glickenhaus is heading to the U.A.E. for the 2008 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix on April 4th-6th. It's an event we're told will "play host to a mouth-watering array of machinery celebrating Ferrari's sixty years as a constructor of Formula One and sports racing cars." And oh yes, he's bringing his P4/5.

geneva auto show

Pininfarina Sintesi Concept Hits Geneva Show Floor

Pininfarina's Sintesi concept may remind us of the company's Birdcage 75 concept (that's like Airport 75 with less George Kennedy) from a few years back. But it does have quad scissor doors, which means it qualifies for double-Lambo status. That'll get you a free drink at any Dave and Buster's. Also, the dash has that so-cool-it-burns quality that happens when ergonomics engineers drink too much Aquavit and have guilty sex with each other.


geneva motor show

Pininfarina Sintesi Concept Fully Revealed

The slow strip tease is over and the Pininfarina Sintesi is finally unveiled for all to see. We first caught the Sintesi a couple of weeks ago when most of the conceptual mechanical details were set free, now we know what things really look like. Sporting not one, but two sets of scissor doors, the Sintesi is practically an homage to street racing hooligans everywhere. Granted the fuel cell and heads up display technology in the Sintesi makes the average bad custom car look like it was crafted in the stone age. We're looking forward to seeing the car when we head over to the land of chocolate and blonds for the upcoming Geneva Auto Show. [Pininfarina.com]



technology

Nano Tech Wiperless Windshields Are The Future And We're Scared

Leonardo Fioravanti of Pininfarina fame has dreamed up a new type of windshield that implements some damn hi-tech solutions to the problem of rain automotive glass. Fioravanti must not be familiar with the adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," because he definitely has tried to do away with windshield wipers. This rad new design, perhaps dreamed up while high, use aerodynamics and four fancy layers to keep rain, dirt and other elements from obstructing your view. More »

geneva motor show

More Pininfarina Sintesi Details Emerge

Pininfarina has decided to take an interesting and embargo proof route to informing us all about its Sintesi concept. Instead of loading is slimy bloggers with info we have to hang onto till an appointed time, they've taken to publishing a weekly flash pamphlet on their website with more details. So far we're 3 issues into the series and some interesting details are starting to emerge. Pinifarina has taken its signature clean sheet approach to concepts and is making packaging and car to car interaction part the priority list for this car. We first brought you the Pininfarina Sintesi and hoped it would avoid the crossover category, it looks like the car avoids that ill moniker, but will be a fuel cell do-gooder though one of a different flavor.

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geneva motor show

Pininfarina Sintesi Concept Sketch Revealed

The Pininfarina Sintesi concept claims to combine the safety and functionality of the 2004 Nido with the pure sex appeal of the 2005 Birdcage 75th concept. We're guessing that lands it somewhere in the dreaded crossover category. Pininfarina will unveil the car at the Geneva Motor Show in March. let's hope it doesn't sacrifice too much form in the name of function. [Via Pininfarina]




industry news

Pininfarina and French Company to Develop Electric Car

Wanting some Pininfarina goodness but you don't have the cash to throw around for a Ferrari or Maserati? The famous Italian design firm is teaming up with the Bollore Group to create an electric car for Europe, Japan and the United States. Bollore is already working on an electric car using lithium-metal-polymer technology they've developed themselves. While it may not be as svelte as the Pininfarina-penned GT, we can't help but entertain the possibilities of Italian-designed electric cars zipping around.
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wagons

Ferrari 456 Venice

You know why its good to be the Prince of Brunei? Because you can pick up the phone and say things like, "Yo Ferrari. Prince Jefri here. Yeah, listen. I'm thinking what I really need are seven 456 station wagons. Uh huh. OK, great. Oh, and I want Pininfarina to design and build them. Great. How much? $1.5 million each? No problem." And then, when Pininfarina does build all seven 442 HP V12 5-door rootin', tootin' shooting brakes, you can call back and say, "You know what? I only want six." Meaning that the seventh 456 Venice is out in the world ready for general consumption. Bring your wealthy benefactor's largest check book. [qv500 for more info]

custom cars

New Stuff for the Glickenhaus Ferrari P4/5

Our New York homeboy James Glickenhaus, of Ferrari P4/5 fame, made a couple of choice modifications to his bespoke, Pininfarina-rebodied Ferrari Enzo. Apparently, after bombing through Sicily on the Targa Florio earlier this year, G-haus had some new exhaust tips installed during a routine teardown at Pininfarina. According to an e-mail exchange with Winding Road, he says the new shape improves airflow over the integrated rear wing. The exhaust system can also be manipulated between muffled and unmuffled (for track use) by way of a new bypass switch in the cockpit. Damned if that guys millionz aren't going to good use. [Winding Road]

glick!

James Glickenhaus Shows off His Toys

Big Daddy Glick gives us a tour of his bespoke Pininfarina Ferrari P4/5, parked beside the classic P3/4 that inspired him to disfigure an Enzo to such a degree. It's filmed in the backyard of Jalopnik's New York compound, in Westchester County (motto: Come watch our bond traders procreate!). He also describes the process of backing up a Brinks truck full of cash at the Pininfarina headquarters in exchange for their coachworks efforts, and Ferrari's reaction to his plan. All that and how his wife got to pick the seat cover fabrics. Haters step off, this is the feel-good hit of the year. More »

ray falco wants to buy yez a drink

Ray Falco's Lancia Scorpion Could Be Yours!

So after writing about that Down On The Street '66 Lancia Fulvia, I figured there couldn't be any harm in checking out what kind of Lancia deals you can get these days. And what a deal I found! It's a '76 Lancia Scorpion (known as the Lancia Monte Carlo in Europe, but Chevrolet had that name nailed down on these shores). This one's in very nice shape, though of course it's got the horrible 1976 crash bumpers and zilch-horsepower smog motor. But it's still got genuine Italian style, buddy! The best part? According to the plaque, the car was originally built for a gentleman named Ray Falco. You just know he was a strip club owner in Tucson. More »

spy photos

Spy Photos: Maserati GranTurismo, 'Ringward

The Winding Road crew procured some shots of the new, Pininfarina-designed Maserati GranTurismo coupe being highly molested on Germany's N rburgring. Apparently, an aging rock singer was behind the wheel, and he was brooking no guff from the long-lens set. Still, it looks just about ready for a life behind wrought-iron gates and valet parking. Hopefully it won't always be that way. More »

news: industry news

The Floridians and Boy Billionaire on TVR, Terlet

The autophiles over at the UK's CAR tracked down Jean Michel Santacrue and Adam Burdette, TVR's new overlords, as well as teenage Russian baznillionaire Nikolai Smolenski who is expected to soon cut all ties with TVR and head back to Austria. Smolenski accepts responsibility for workers' ire at the Blackpool shutdown, but lays the demise of British-built TVRs squarely at the feet of the British government. Meanwhile, Santacrue and Burdette are planning to go with either Pininfarina or Bertone for manufacturing purposes (previous reports generally revolved around the latter), while retaining a crew of 20 engineers and designers in the UK. More »