Posts Tagged “
Pininfarina
”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.More »
custom cars
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.
Glickenhaus Ferrari P4/5 Heading To 2008 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
geneva auto show
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.
Pininfarina Sintesi Concept Hits Geneva Show Floor
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]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.More »
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]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.More »
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]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 »
retro
Rambler Rogue? No, Renault Torino!
One of the cars in the above illustration is a '79 Renault Torino, while the other is a '65 Rambler American. Notice any similarities? The story of the Renault Torino isn't just the usual case of a US automaker selling the tooling for an obsolete model to a South American manufacturer, nor was it a simple re-badging of a US model for license-building abroad. No, the Torino is the result of an early chapter in the twisty tale of the Renault-AMC story, which resulted in a unique-to-Argentina vehicle, based on the Rambler American Rogue but with body redesigned by Pininfarina and a Kaiser-designed engine under the hood. The Torino became a legend in Argentina, selling like crazy and having a fair bit of racing success, including a major N rburgring triumph in 1969. Torino production halted in 1982, a dark year for car freaks in Argentina. More »
retro
Cadillac Car! Allante!
As we trundled our weary bones down to the bodega this overcast afternoon with Minuteflag's "Fetch the Water" spinning in the brain-pan, 1990 happened all over again. We spied a man wearing Oakley Razor Blades in a clean Cadillac Allant . The XLR's Pininfarina-bodied, wrong-wheel-drive older brother actually looked pretty damn good. In fact, we'd go so far as to say it's a future cult classic — especially the final 290-hp Northstar-powered models from 1993. Sure, the quality control was typically Italian, which, combined with the collective Seasonal Affective Disorder of the workers in Hamtramck who performed final assembly, led to some durability issues. Meanwhile, we're gonna go scour eBay for a pair of iridium-lensed Razor Blades. More »
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