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The Key

Cars as Art

With the valuable support, depth of knowledge and illustrative talent of Prof. Massimo Grandi

Photo credit: Some images are taken from the book Asi Service "Quando le disegnava il vento" by Massimo Grandi

There can be no genius without skill. Designing a car is very difficult: just like with people, every small detail becomes part of their overall physiognomy and must have its own purpose.

Franco Scaglione found his extraordinary creativity in the analysis of function: studies in aeronautical engineering made him particularly aware of the role air has when it meets the bodywork and, once there, crosses it in certain areas and obstructs forward motion. Thus, as Massimo Grandi illustrates in his piece published by The Key 2020 which will be available for purchase from 18th December, he carefully studied the vortexes caused by wheels and the flow of air in that area, that led him to create cut away sections on the side of the bodywork or, on the magnificent BAT cars, shapes to help reconnect the air at an ideal distance at high speeds. Scaglione’s genius left us memorable cars such as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta sprint and Giulia SS, two of his many creations as chief designer for Bertone. Following Bertone, he worked independently and created, among many, a car that is a symbol of Alfa Romeo to this day: the 33 Stradale. A masterpiece. The book, “Il paradigma Scaglione” by Grandi, published in Italy by ASI, explores his creative approach to perfection.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS (Sprint Speciale). To surpass an icon such as the Giulietta Sprint, Scaglione changed the rules of design and proposed a very advanced bodywork that was completely different from the Alfa Romeo style tradition. The year was 1957
In 1959, Scaglione created a Carrera racing version for Porsche. The car went on to race at Le Mans in 1960, finishing tenth overall
The small Alfa Romeo Abarth 1000 intended for racing that was presented in 1958 and generated considerable interest, but was never produced
Elegant and innovative, the Lamborghini 350 GTV, a pScaglione for the Sant’Agata Bolognese manufacturer. Fearing it was too innovative, Ferruccio Lamborghini entrusted the final design to Carrozzeria Touring and made a decidedly more traditional model
The passion for aerodynamics allowed Scaglione to create some record-breaking models. Among these, the small 1956 Fiat Abarth 750
Another record-breaking model by Scaglione is the Colibrì, commissioned by Stanguellini and equipped with a small 250cc single-cylinder engine from Moto Guzzi. On the Monza High Speed track the car beat six world records with averages above 160 km/h (100 mph)