[k1ePRlda]

Maybe over-all the Germans and Japanese make better cars but IMHO the Fiat Group gets the prize as world's coolest car company: Fiat, Alfa, Lancia, Maserati, Ferrari. The designs are are better than ever.. and the company is healthy. Their styling has balls and the look can only be Italian... nothing wimpy... no anonymous "global" styling:

New Lancia Delta:


Delta interior:


Tiny but luxurious city car... Lancia Ypsilon:



Fiat Brava:

Brava interior:


The jewell like Fiat 500


500 interior high style:



Note the detailing:


Extra cool compact Alfa Mito


Mito interior

Maserati Sport GT... Maserati sales are up:


One of the world's most beautiful production cars:


GT interior

Interior detail


Maserati Quattroporte Sedan


Fiat Panda... small, rugged, IMHO a GREAT design:

[rouletteroulette]

I hear they're coming out with a new Topolino.

[QEoMi752]

You've got super luxury cars like the Ferarri and Maserati with 12 cylinder engines ... as well as economical low priced compact cars like these:

2010 Topolino. Stylish like an iPod.


----


Watch this: First Lady of France Carla Bruni for the Lancia musa:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJBA06HXhVE

And again ... a great effective ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mocGX...eature=related
--

[lE3l6Lgn]

Thanks for the memory jog.

I forgot to respond to Ablarc's post, which brought to mind a car I ran into on Washington St, near the Standard Hotel - the only Pininfarina I've ever owned.


Fiat 124 Spider

It didn't have the clunky, useless mandated bumpers that were introduced in the 70s. More like this.



In 1963, Pininfarina introduced a styling concept from a Corvette Stingray at the Paris Auto Show, the Corvette Rondine, which is still in their possession. Several styling cues were incorporated into the fiat 124 Spider as few years later.






My favorite Adirondack car.

[thehhhyips]

A classic.

BTW: You will be pleased to know that today, Fiat's reliability and quality is of world class standard.

[letmelogin]

Just another reason why Italy is the fashion capital of the World.

[krasniyluch]

The new Ferrari California:




----

Maserati GT on Park:



Interior of the 2 seat GranSport... this is just soooo Italian:



Insanity:


Maserati went through very bad times and was nearly bankrupt when Fiat bought it. Maserati is now profitable. The Quattroporte Sedan. Isn't this what Buicks should look like?:



--

[Zhgpavye]

New Alfa 8C. 500 have been built for 2008. All sold. The car will go into production in 2009 with a spyder version offered also.





Shifting is done through toggles on the back of the streeing wheel rim.




Note how styling filters down to the new Mito (prices start at around 15,500 euro.):

[neerewed]

The Brera does it for me..the whole thing is gorgeous, but those headlights just kill me.



But Aston Martin would have to be my favorite. Every single one of their cars looks identical and yet I still can't get enough of 'em. And I don't like the looks of the new Ferrari California. People have written its lines fare much better in person, but I just can't see past those stupid headlights. I don't understand why Ferrari would want to start taking design cues from the Koreans.

[yespkorg]

The design clues for the California's slanty-eyed covered lights come from the 1961 California.:




And actually Aston Martin uses a similair look.

--
Re: Aston Martin: while Ferrari and Maserati sales are up, Aston Martin's are down. No surprise... in economic hard-times even the rich want a sure thing: Ferrari's hold their value. Furthmore Aston Martin still has the foul oder of Ford.

[metropropuskruww]

Amazing quality and design.

[Lipitorseffec]

I always liked circles, ovals, and curves for interiors.

Never seems to go out of fashion.

[Alex Photographer]

If the California looks a little too showy for your tastes ...there is the more traditional looking Scaglietti:



The interior is IMHO a wonderful mix of high-tech and artisan:

[mnhloot]

This is stunning. Great thread Fab!

[Gulauur]

Back when Detroit made great cars they borrowed liberally from the Italian design studios. The Ferrari was an inspiration for the original Mustang:

Note the fast back roof with gill vents:


Ferrari 250 GT


Even the Mustang logo was a blatant copy of the Ferrari prancing horse:

[teewHettive]

Ford and Ferrari were big racing competitors in the 1960s.

Ferrari won the 24 hour Le Mans six straight times from 1960 through 1965. Ford introduced the GT40, which won the race the next four years. Neither company has won the race since.

Ford should have stayed in racing.

[Snitiendumurn]

It was quite a rivalry between them during the 60's

---

I die when I see those photos of the first Mustangs. There's a little Lincoln Continental, Ferrari, a touch of the 55 Tbird. They started out as elegant, classy looking cars... the styling was not swollen, pumped-up boy-racer:

The very first advertisement for the Mustang was this... evening gown and tux:


The advertising copy reads: "Mustang has the look, the fire, the flavour of the great European road cars."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first page of the first brochure.... feathers and sequins:



1958 Ferrari:

[Futfwrca]

Even the wire wheels with knock-off hubs.

[Tyncneiff]

Re: here's one equipped with those fake knock-off hubs, "spinners" as they were called:

(and another 1964 1/2 evening gown)

[Gofthooxdix]

There have been better looking Ferraris than the new California. Roly-poly and overfussy, it reminds me of a Lexus coupe from a few years back.

Definitely not sleek.




(I know, I know ... you need a big ass to shove the roof into.)