Vignale: Masterpieces of Style

Vignale: Masterpieces of Style

The history of Vignale, the coachbuilder that bodied the first unforgettable Ferraris of the 1950s – responsible for cars such as the 166 and 212 Inter, the 250 and the 340 MM – narrated through rare archive photos, many of which previously unpublished.

The Masterpieces of Style series dedicated to the greats of Italian coachbuilding – including Zagato, Pininfarina Touring and Giugiaro – could hardly not have a title devoted to the Turinese atelier founded in 1946 by Alfredo Vignale.

This book covers, model by model, the entire output of an illustrious marque that was at its peak in the Fifties and Sixties when, thanks above all to the extraordinary talent of Giovanni Michelotti, it produced numerous bodies for Ferrari chassis, along with diverse Fiats with special versions of the 500 and 600. Not to forget the various Lancias such as the Appia and the Flavia Convertible and the prolific collaboration with Triumph.

CARROZZERIA ALLEMANO TORINO

CARROZZERIA ALLEMANO TORINO

The story of Serafino Allemano in the first fifteen / twenty years  immediately after the Second World War, when the most established names of the moment, such as Pininfarina or Bertone, were the spearhead of Italian Carrozzeria. Thanks to the collaboration with Giovanni Michelotti and an executive quality of other times, Carrozzeria Allemano managed to secure a leading position in the history of Italian Style; prestigious atelier from which cars such as the Coupé FIAT 1100 TV, the Maserati 5000 GT, all the Abarth touring cars of the early Sixties were released. They are just some of the many examples of the great esteem obtained by the most prestigious national and international car manufacturers, one of which, the Japanese Prince, allowed Allemano to achieve a record: having opened new opportunities for Italian creativity in the land of the Rising Sun.
Text Italian and English
Zagato: Masterpieces of Style

Zagato: Masterpieces of Style

It was in 1919 that Ugo Zagato established Carrozzeria U. Zagato & C., a business that acquired great fame in just a few years among the numerous car manufacturers of the period, first of all Alfa Romeo, which entrusted the Milanese body stylist with designing and building the body of the unforgettable 6C 1750, as it did its 8C 2900 that appeared in the ’30s. From then on, the famous marque became synonymous with style – not only in Italy – designing a series of masterpieces including the Lancia Aprilia Sport, the various Panoramic cars of the immediate post-war period, the Aston Martin DB4, the Alfa Romeo SZ and TZ, the Lancias Fulvia, Flavia and Flaminia and many more. From the ’90s Zagato re-emerged as an atelier, designing small production run cars and sometimes one-offs for its wealthy clients. Luciano Greggio, the automobile historian, covers the fascinating story of this prestigious body stylist and has also written other books in the series as well as Zagato. The series, to be published soon, includes books on Touring, Bertone, Pininfarina, Giugiaro and Vignale & Ghia.

Alfa Romeo Registro 6C 2500

Alfa Romeo Registro 6C 2500

“Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 – 6C 2500 is divided into three volumes

The first part is history and photographs 6C 2300/2500

The second is dedicated to the Register and its members

The final part is a documentary “collection” dedicated to advertising, drawings, awards and a list of cars included in the Register.

The “6C” series was without doubt one of the most successful in the great history of Alfa Romeo, starting from the victorious 6C1500 and 6C 1750 until the final evolution with the 6C 2500, the car became a predominantly “Gran Lusso” (luxury car) which was combined with the typical Alfa Romeo sports heritage.

It was a successful series that lasted nearly three decades, in all possible variants: two-seater racing cars, monumental ministerial sedans, “Gran Turismo” convertibles, colonial cars for the “Regio Esercito” (Royal Army” and sports coupes. Some were even modified for advertising vehicles and work vehicles as vans and “autoemoteche”

These were the years of the great Italian ateliers, and design was purely inspired by their infinite creativity, not yet subjected to today’s constraints, such as the size of the vehicle, the interior roominess, safety standards, cost reduction, rationalisation of production cycles, economies of scale, etc.

3 Volume Set
(English & Italian)

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