Celebrating the Art of Italian Coachbuilding
Celebrating the Art of Italian Coachbuilding
The Ferrari Modulo concept car: winner of 22 design awards.
The Ferrari Modulo originally started out as a Ferrari 512S and was converted to 612 Can Am spec. After testing, the engine and transmission were removed and the chassis was stripped down and given to Pininfarina to build a show car. The show car debuted at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show and was originally painted black, but was later repainted in the white. The Modulo was well received by critics and has won 22 awards for its design. The Ferrari Modulo was designed in 1967, based on the Ferrari 512 S, by Paolo Martin, designer at Pininfarina, and is recognized as one of the most famous dream cars of all time. The car was presented by Pininfarina at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show, and then remained on display from April to September of that year in the Italian Pavilion at the 1970 Expo in Osaka. Since then, the “Modulo” has been in constant demand at various shows on every continent, receiving dozens of awards, including Automobile Quarterly’s prestigious Award for Design Excellence in 1971. The Ferrari Modulo is an unusually shaped vehicle with graphically mirrored solutions considered too futuristic for the time; specifically, it does not have doors but the entire windshield and the front part of the roof and windows are manually moved forward to allow entry. This system is derived from research into access in cars of limited height (less than a meter in this case); this system, also used on Bertone’s coeval Strato’s Zero prototype, the precursor to the Lancia Stratos, was taken up after forty years, in an automated version, on the 2005 Maserati Birdcage 75th concept. Also noteworthy are the distinctly futuristic interior, in which all controls are arranged on a special sphere equipped with buttons facing the driver and positioned to his left; this arrangement was possible because of the car’s considerable width, although the driver and passenger find themselves very close to each other. The gearshift lever, on the other hand, is positioned on axis with the dashboard. The Ferrari Modulo was unveiled at the Geneva motor show in 1970 with a metallic black color scheme and was hailed as the star of the show, although the maquette was later repainted with the original color, a pearl light blue. For the boldness of its solutions, it won more than twenty-two international awards for design and concept. Long stored at the Centro Stile Pininfarina in Cambiano, Italy, the “Modulo” was sold in September 2014 to classic car collector James Glickenhaus, a U.S. entrepreneur and film producer who owns Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG), a small car manufacturer that builds racing cars, made in Turin by Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT). After the purchase, the new owner entrusted the “Modulo” to MAT technicians in order to study and implement the transformation of the maquette into a running prototype.
Chassis
Imagine strolling into a 1970 auto show and coming face-to-future with a vehicle so low and sharp it could slice the bell-bottoms right off your leisure suit. In the 1970s, Italian design houses like Pininfarina, Bertone, Ghia, and Italdesign were in a feverish race to envision the car of tomorrow – and apparently, tomorrow was shaped like a doorstop.
When we visited designer Paolo Martin for a retrospective on his extraordinary body of work, one particular shape in his archive stood apart from everything else—low, razor-sharp, almost extraterrestrial in its geometry. More than fifty years after its debut, the Ferrari Modulo still looks like something plucked from the future. And in many ways, it was.
Turin has long been a global epicenter of automotive design, a city where innovation and artistry have shaped the industry for over a century. From the early 1900s, beneath the iconic Mole Antonelliana, timeless vehicles have been crafted, making Turin the undisputed heart of Italian car design. Today, this legacy continues within the newly established “Vehicle Valley” of Piedmont.
Discover the fascinating journey of Pininfarina, a name synonymous with luxury automotive design and innovation. From its inception in 1930 to its status as a leader in the industry, this article explores the milestones, iconic vehicles, and visionary designers who shaped the brand’s legacy. Delve into the evolution of Pininfarina, highlighting notable achievements such as the Ferrari 550 Barchetta, the Cambiano concept, and the introduction of Automobili Pininfarina. Join us as we celebrate the artistry and engineering excellence that has defined Pininfarina through the decades.
Where aesthetic beauty meets technological innovation, Enigma GT emerges as a futuristic design study poised to redefine the concept of a sports vehicle. This entirely virtual creation represents the beginning of an intriguing journey that promises a captivating mix of elegant lines, advanced propulsion, and artificial intelligence.
Pininfarina, the venerable Italian design house, has left an indelible mark on the automotive world with its avant-garde concept cars. From the iconic Ferrari Modulo to the futuristic Pininfarina X, each creation embodies the brand’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of design and innovation. In this exploration, we delve into the top 20 greatest concept cars from Pininfarina, celebrating their beauty, performance, and lasting impact.
In the world of automotive design, few names carry the weight of innovation and artistry quite like Paolo Martin. Born in Turin, Italy, in…
The volume describes over 600 models that, from 1930 to today, have dictated the history of the motor car and spread Italian style around…
