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The Marzotto Ferraris

Giannino Marzotto was one of the Marzotto family’s heirs, a well know family of entrepreneurs in the textile industry; Enzo Ferrari’s friend and great car racing enthusiast, he started to compete in 1948. He was the second of four children – Paolo, Giannino, Umberto and Vittorio – all very good gentleman drivers. He stood out the most; he was able to win the Mille Miglia in 1950 and 1953 and finish 5th overall at the 1954 Le Mans 24h. He won as well the Golden Cup of Dolomiti in 1950, ending in 2nd place in the 1952 edition. The four brothers founded in 1951 the “Scuderia Marzotto” (Team Marzotto) in Valdango, near Vicenza, In order to enter various automotive competitions, like the Mille Miglia and the Giro di Sicilia (Sicily Tour), mostly with Ferrari vehicles. The team didn’t just buy the vehicles,but often would also modify them based on Giannino’s specifications.

Special attention deserves the project carried out by the Padova based coachbuilder Fontana on the design of Franco Reggiani (well-known designer and sculptor), which delivered to the Marzotto brothers two very special cars that mechanically were two Ferrari 212 Export: one is known as ‘Carretto Siciliano‘ (Sicilian Cart), winner of the 1951 ‘Giro di Sicilia’, the second, a very aerodynamic Berlinetta named ‘Ferrari Uovo‘ (Ferrari Egg) after its egg shaped front air intake, entered the 1952 Mille Miglia driven by Giannino himself, whom managed to lead the race until he was forced to retire the car, while in 1953 was given to Mancini/Ercolani but they didn’t manage to qualify.

Back to the ‘Carretto Siciliano‘, is the 0086E that left the factory in 1951 and chassis and engine registered by the Scuderia Marzotto with the plate VI20371. For the Sicily Tour the Marzotto brothers made a very basic bodywork, then painted over the typical decorations of Sicilian carts in very bright colour such as turquoise and yellow, therefore the nickname. Paired with Paolo Fontana, Vittorio Marzotto won the 1951 Sicily Tour. Once the race was over, the bodywork was replaced with a standard one from an Export Vignale after replacing the engine with a 0084E with single carburettor.

A third modification occurred when Fontana transformed the car in an estate car (giardinetta), replacing again the engine with a triple carburettor 0086E, and used it as spare car and support vehicle for the Marzotto Team. By the end of 1951 Fontana modifies the car again, transforming the bodywork in a graceless spider with the distinctive ‘fianchi stretti’ inswept flanks.

In June 1952 the spider still undergoes a modification, the grille was enlarged, the bodywork further lightened. With these changes and with Guido Mancini again behind the wheel he participates in the Targa Florio. The 0086E in 1958 takes the road of America, purchased by Jim Flynn with whom he participates in the classic American SCCAs. Since 2005 purchased by US collector Peter Markowski, the Ferrari 0086E undergoes a series of restorations, during which the bodywork used at the 1952 Targa Florio reappears. Count Marzotto, with regard to the extravagance of the cars he had commissioned to Carrozzeria Fontana, stated: “Those cars were perhaps ugly, but they were much lighter and faster than the usual Ferraris. When the Commendatore saw the “Egg” for the first time, he etiolate, mute, as if an evil spell had distorted one of his creatures. ” And indeed the results proved him right.

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Celebrating 115 years of Carrozzeria Garavini, the brand sees its rediscovery and relaunch in the world of cars, design and elegance.

At Garavini, craftsmanship, manufacture and uniqueness come together to create works of art on wheels that go beyond the concept of a simple means of transport to become symbols of passion and refinement.

115 years after its foundation, the company has decided to start again with the Alfa Romeo 4C, in the 10th anniversary year of the model’s presentation, in collaboration with the IAAD in Turin. This partnership between the historic brand and the design institute represents an opportunity to create a high-end sports car that combines outstanding Italian aesthetics with the best technologies.

Poltu Quatu immediately turned out to be the ideal location for the premiere of the project, thanks to the famous Concours d’Elegance which, as the perfect combination of worldliness, elegance and the joy of living the dolce vita, allows the meeting from all over the world of those enthusiasts who, more than anyone else, can appreciate the value and style of a vision such as Garavini’s.

The project takes its inspiration from the 1930s Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 by Garavini, the star of the Italian Dolce Vita and the birth of the classic car movement in Italy. The Garavini Perenne represents an extraordinary sports car that combines the Italian tradition of elegance and style with innovation and high quality craftsmanship. Garavini’s tribute to the model, the 4C, which, with its debut 10 years ago, decreed the real relaunch of Alfa Romeo, is no coincidence: symbolic value, as happens in all valuable initiatives, has a decisive weight in the conception and realisation of unique products.

The soul of the project is Luca Babbini, a young entrepreneur with experience in research and development for various industries, in particular the automotive industry. Babbini’s path, which started at IAAD and has been refined through subsequent collaborations, has always been linked to a passion for luxury, not so much as a material passion, but derived from the emotion that an object or an experience conveys.

“When I crossed Garavini’s path,” explains Luca Babbini, Garavini Design Director, “with family origins and values that can be traced back to mine, I thought it was a sign: the awareness of this affinity has allowed us to give life to a new chapter, a reality in which passion for craftsmanship, luxury and family heritage come together. The Garavini Perenne will be an opportunity to enhance the Turin area but in an international key, thanks to the freshness and desire to do that only a young team, such as that of Garavini and that of the IAAD master’s degree course in Transportation Design, can guarantee.”

On 8 July on the occasion of the Poltu Quatu Classic, a preview of the concept on which the students of the IAAD master’s course in Transportation Design are working, reasoning and declining the Garavini values of elegance and attention to detail, aimed at creating a modern classic with a first series of 15 examples, which aspires to become a timeless model, a source of inspiration for the present and the future. The lines are classic, inspired by a sporty use that smells of fresh air and speed. Driving pleasure is at the heart of the design with a set-up dedicated to usability on the road as well as on the track.

Again Luca Babbini: ‘The valorisation of young people is a key aspect of the project: it always seems, in the common narrative, that unreachable challenges and moments of continuous crisis await us, but the future is full of opportunities and style and beauty are not a closed chapter. The creation of new classics is the true ambition of a project, which looks to the future aware of its past but with the confidence that it can still make a difference. The Turin area, then, is rich in excellent craft realities with which to create synergies and develop a true pole of high craftsmanship. There is nothing to stop us from looking beyond the automotive field and broadening the declination of our values with incursions into other sectors… in short, there is a lot to build on, and the Garavini lifestyle begins today with Garavini Perenne.

The result of this partnership is a high-end compact sports car with a sculptural aesthetic design. Garavini is committed to satisfying a discerning international audience that appreciates the art of automotive design and Italian craftsmanship. The ability to excite both long-time enthusiasts and new customers is a challenge Garavini sets itself, aiming to create a fascinating and successful future for the brand.

The Garavini Perenne will be released in 2025.