What Ever Happened To Pininfarina?
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Car
Toyota Sienna
The Toyota Sienna is a family-friendly minivan that has lots of room for kids and stuff. It's known for being safe and reliable, making it a good choice for parents.
Company
Pininfarina
Pininfarina is a famous company in Italy that designs cars, especially for high-end brands like Ferrari. They are known for making cars look really beautiful and stylish.
Car
Ferrari P6
The Ferrari P6 is a concept car that Ferrari revealed in 1968. It had a unique design with a mid-engine layout, which means the engine is located in the middle of the car for better balance and handling.
Concept
Supercar
A Supercar is a really fast and expensive sports car that has special features and technology. These cars are designed to perform better than regular cars and are often seen as luxury items.
Car
Dino 206 S
The Dino 206 S is a classic sports car made by Ferrari in the 1960s. It was designed to be light and fast, and it has a special engine located in the middle of the car, which helps with handling.
Concept
restomod
A restomod is a classic car that has been updated with new parts and technology. It looks old but drives like a new car, making it more reliable and enjoyable to use.
Car
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a fast and stylish sports car that many people admire. It's known for being powerful and fun to drive, making it a popular choice for car enthusiasts.
Car
Mitsubishi Endeavors
The Mitsubishi Endeavor is a medium-sized SUV that was made for families. It has a lot of room inside for people and their stuff.
Car
Maserati A6 GCS Burlenetta
The Maserati A6 GCS Burlenetta is an old sports car from the 1950s known for its beautiful design and success in racing. It shows Maserati's focus on making fast and stylish cars.
Car
Cadillac V16
The Cadillac V16 is a classic luxury car from the 1930s that had a very powerful engine with 16 cylinders, making it very smooth and prestigious.
Concept
unibody construction
Unibody construction means that the car's body and frame are made as one piece instead of being separate. This makes the car lighter and stronger, which is important for safety and performance.
Car
Lancia Aprilea Aero Dynamica
The Lancia Aprilea Aero Dynamica is a racecar that was designed to be very aerodynamic, meaning it could move through the air more easily. It had a very low drag coefficient, which helps cars go faster and use less fuel.
Car
Chrysler PT Cruiser
The PT Cruiser is a car made by Chrysler that has a unique, retro design. It's known for being practical and has a similar drag coefficient to the Lancia racecar, meaning they both handle air resistance similarly.
Term
drag coefficient
The drag coefficient is a number that shows how easily a car can move through the air. A lower number means the car can go faster and use less energy because it faces less air resistance.
Term
ambulances
Ambulances are vehicles that help take sick or hurt people to the hospital. They have special equipment inside to help patients on the way.
Car
Lancia Aprilia
The Lancia Aprilia is an old car from the 1930s that was special because it had some new ideas in how cars were built. It helped change how cars were made in the future.
Car
Skoda Rapid
The Skoda Rapid is a small car that is good for everyday use and doesn't cost too much. It's known for having a lot of space inside.
Car
Jaguar Etype
The Jaguar E-Type is a classic British sports car that many people think is one of the prettiest cars ever. It was known for being fast and stylish when it was first made.
Car
Porsche 356
The Porsche 356 is an old sports car that was made a long time ago. It's famous for its unique look and is considered one of the first cars made by Porsche.
Car
Mercedes-Benz SL
The Mercedes-Benz SL is a fancy sports car that looks great and drives smoothly. It's known for being luxurious and powerful, making it a dream car for many.
Car
Cicitalia 202
The Cicitalia 202 is a classic car famous for its unique design, which influenced how cars were made after World War II. It is so special that it is displayed in a museum dedicated to modern art.
Car
Nissan Juke
The Nissan Juke is a small SUV that looks different from other cars, which makes it stand out. It's fun to drive and is popular with younger people.
Car
Maserati A6 1500 Coupe
The Maserati A6 1500 Coupe is a classic car made by Maserati, known for its stylish design and good performance. It was one of the first cars produced by the company after World War II.
Car
Nash Ambassador
The Nash Ambassador is a big car that was made by Nash Motors many years ago. It was known for being stylish and having some cool features for its time.
Car
Hindustan Ambassador
The Hindustan Ambassador is an old car from India that looks like a big box. It was very popular and often used as a taxi.
Car
Chevrolet Cavalier
The Chevrolet Cavalier is a small, affordable car that many people used to drive. It was popular because it was easy to buy and good for everyday use.
Car
Lancia Aurelia
The Lancia Aurelia is a classic car from the 1950s that was special because it had a new type of engine. It was known for being stylish and advanced for its time.
Car
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
The Alfa Romeo Giulietta is a small car that has been made since the 1950s. It's known for being stylish and fun to drive, showing off Alfa Romeo's long history in making cars.
Car
Alfa Romeo Sprint
The Alfa Romeo Sprint is a small sports car from the 1960s that people loved for how fun it was to drive. It looks cool and is known for being sporty.
Car
Fso Prima
The FSO Prima is a small car from Poland that was made to be cheap and useful for regular people. It was popular for being easy to drive.
Car
Ferrari 212 Intercabriolet
The Ferrari 212 Inter-Cabriolet is an old sports car from 1952. It is known for its stylish design and is one of the first Ferraris to be designed by Pininfarina.
Car
Ferrari 250 GT
The Ferrari 250 GT is an old sports car from the early 1950s that many people think is really beautiful. It's famous for being powerful and is highly valued by collectors.
Car
Ferrari 1959 Ferrari
The Ferrari 195 S is an old sports car that looks really beautiful and was made for racing. It's important in car history because it helped Ferrari become famous.
Car
Ferrari 250
Concept
aerodynamic features
Aerodynamic features are parts of a car designed to help it move through the air more easily, making it faster and more efficient.
Car
Ferrari Dino 206 GT
The Ferrari Dino 206 GT is an old sports car that was made in the late 1960s. It's special because it was named after the founder's son and helped Ferrari make different kinds of cars.
Car
1968 Ferrari P6 Concept
The 1968 Ferrari P6 Concept was a prototype car that Ferrari showed off to give people a glimpse of what their future sports cars would look like. It had new design features that inspired later Ferrari models.
Term
mid-engine
Mid-engine means that the car's engine is placed in the middle of the vehicle, which helps it handle better and be faster. It's a popular design for sports cars.
Car
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 is a famous sports car from the late 1980s, known for being very fast and having a unique design. It's considered one of the best supercars ever made.
Car
Lancia Florida
The Lancia Florida is a concept car that was designed to show new ideas in car design. It inspired later cars made by Lancia, which means it had a big impact on how those cars looked.
Car
Lancia Flaminia
The Lancia Flaminia is a luxury car made by Lancia that was influenced by the earlier Florida concept. It is recognized for its stylish design and was considered advanced for its era.
Car
Fiat 130
The Fiat 130 3200 Coupe is a fancy car from the 1970s that looks nice and is comfortable to drive. It's made for people who want something stylish.
Car
Fiat 130 coupé
The Fiat 130 coupé is a sporty car made by Fiat that has a unique and stylish shape. It was designed to be both elegant and practical, making it appealing to buyers.
Car
Peugeot 504
The Peugeot 504 is a car made by the French company Peugeot. It was known for being comfortable and well-built, and it came in different styles like a two-door coupe and a convertible.
Car
Peugeot 406
The Peugeot 406 is another model from Peugeot, made in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was known for its stylish design and good driving experience, especially the coupe version.
Car
Renault Wind
The Renault Wind is a small convertible car that came out in the early 2010s. It's designed to be fun to drive with the top down and is budget-friendly.
Car
Ferrari 458 Italia
The Ferrari 458 Italia is a fast sports car that came out in 2009. It's famous for its beautiful look and powerful engine, making it very popular with car lovers.
Car
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 is a sporty car that is designed for speed and handling. It's known for being really fun to drive, especially on race tracks.
Car
Ferrari LaFerrari
The Ferrari LaFerrari is a super-fast car that uses both gas and electricity to go really fast. It's one of the most advanced cars Ferrari has ever made.
Concept
in-house design
In-house design means that a company creates its products by itself instead of hiring other companies to do it. This helps them make sure the product matches their ideas and standards.
Car
BMW F12
The BMW 6 Series is a fancy car that's great for long drives and looks really nice. It's known for being powerful and comfortable.
Car
Ford Freestyle
The Ford Freestyle is a family-friendly SUV from the mid-2000s that has a lot of room inside. It's made for families who need space for kids and gear.
Car
Volkswagen Bugs
The Volkswagen Bus is a classic van that many people loved in the 1960s. It has a unique shape and is known for being great for family trips and adventures.
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Hey, welcome back to PastGas.
Everybody this week we're talking about pinning Farina a company you might know a little about.
You've at least heard their name. You've seen their name on countless Ferraris and other awesome cars throughout history.
But how did they come to be?
Well, we're going to find out right now.
It's PastGas. Let's hit that intro.
The year is 1968 and the lights of the Turin Motor Show are ablaze.
Camera flashes pop and blind and hushed whispers fill the air.
On the pinning Farina stage a shape emerges from beneath a silken shroud and reveals a vision so radical that the convention
quites down to listen.
The car is the Ferrari P6, a mid-engine prototype that seems impossibly low and features a severely pointed nose
and three sets of unblinking headlight eyes that stare down from each side.
The bodywork is an absolute masterclass and clean integrated design.
It flows effortlessly towards an inverted tail that sports seven wraparound slats reminiscent of louvers.
Except these are much more functional.
This isn't just a concept car. It's pinning Farina, alongside Ferrari, defining what would later be named the Supercar.
And it all started with a stripped Dino 206 S chassis.
The unveiling at Turin was a blend of audacious design and technological prophecy and it solidified pinning Farina's reputation as not just a coach builder, but a visionary architect of automotive dreams.
The unveiling of such a radical prototype at a major motor show immediately established pinning Farina as a company that set trends instead of following them through exploiting tradition and defining innovation.
So, how did they get their start designing car bodies for some of the most important European automakers of all time?
Where does the name pinning Farina come from? And what are they up to now?
This week on PassGas, it's CorruptSeria Pinning Farina.
Did I get that right?
I don't know. I don't speak Italian.
He just looks Italian.
I look British.
Welcome back to PassGas.
Everybody, my name is Nolan Sykes. I'm going to stop touching the mic for the sake of our audio man Mark's ears.
Welcome back to the show this week talking pinning Farina. A name you have probably heard of across to me is Bart Bidlingmire.
Hi, thanks for having me glad to be here.
And Joe Weber.
What's up, Winkwing Nation? We're back.
Dad's squared. Is this your first time back on the podcast since?
Yeah, after six weeks.
Wow. How's it going?
Pretty good. I'm a little bit tired.
A little bit?
Is it better than last time?
Yeah, a million times better.
This kid is way more chill than why it was when he was a baby.
Another boy. Another boy.
We got Emily wanted a girl and she got two boys.
So here we are.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's been good.
We've had a lot of support, which is great.
Well, you get in 15 months you can have a girl.
Yes.
Yeah, that's another thing is they're only 15 months apart.
So they're going to be either best buds or like rivals.
Yeah, they look like best buds already.
Yeah, they're they're hugging each other.
Try to get them into sports and stuff.
They're not going to be overwhelming about it.
But you have, you know, I give, I give why at a basketball and he bounces it.
And I try to give them to throw a baseball to me already.
My cousins are pretty close in age.
Like I have one cousin who's a month older than me.
Yeah, like 15 months ish, but very close to that.
And they're cool now, but they say they were like bitter rivals.
Wow.
Like the entire time.
They're cool.
Like they used to be.
No, no, no, they're always cool.
But like now they're cool with each other.
Because growing up, they were like intense sports rivals.
Because like my older cousin Ian was like a free athlete.
And Connor is like also a good athlete.
But like Ian was.
Yeah.
So no Ian.
Well, I wouldn't say that.
Me and Emily joke that we want.
So that is a possibility.
My point being, they could be bitter rivals, Joe.
Me and Emily joke that if we have two boys and either one of them becomes an NFL kicker
then we've failed.
Because I feel like you look at Adam Venetari's career.
You know, he played until he was 42.
Well, he is like one of the highest scoring people in the NFL ever.
Because he doesn't have CT.
Yeah.
He has so many extra points that makes him like a high score.
Yeah.
Yeah, for sure.
Cool.
So I'd love if he was an NFL kicker.
I feel like now the this is getting too deep into the mix.
But I feel like 60 year old field goals are the norm now, which is crazy to think about.
Yeah, I agree.
To where it's like, oh, they're in field goal range.
You're like, they're at the 50.
Yeah.
So it's a high bar.
I'm not going to be like a sports dad.
But I'm going to support anything that he wants to do.
Well, wasn't the field goal range or like the field goal record just set recently?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Which is over 200 feet.
That's crazy to think about like kicking a ball that's not supposed to fly like that.
Yeah.
Over 200 feet and being accurate with it.
Yeah.
Crazy.
And I'll tell you what a big push for that like bill ball check really drilled down on that.
And he also developed a lot of good coaches.
Yeah.
You know who else is a great coach builder?
Oh, damn.
That's so good.
Yeah.
That was masterful.
I do want to circle back to the intro because the car that they're describing is the car
that we were trying to figure out.
Yeah.
On the concourse when we were at the house of Lamborghini and we were having drinks and we're
trying to figure out what car they are unloading and after looking into it.
Wasn't it like a Resto mod too?
It was the one.
Yes.
We're like, what is that?
Looks like a Corvette.
But it's obviously not a Corvette that dimensions were different.
And I was the one who was like, I think it's Ferrari.
The story of Pinin Freena begins not in an industrial complex, but in the humble town of
Cortanzi, the Oste, Italy.
But Tista Freena was born in 1893 as the 10th of 11 children.
What do you think that'd be like?
How about that, Joe?
Well, back then, I was like, I need to have 10 children because they have to support me
when I'm an old man of 53 years old.
Also, there's a big thing in Italy where grown-ass men still live with their parents.
That's the world-wide thing.
Yeah.
It's like bigger in Italy.
I saw some money where it's like the mom's like, you're never leaving.
I feel like it's also a thing in Hispanic culture.
It's also a thing in Indian culture.
It's just everything is expensive now.
So I wouldn't mind that, I guess, living back in a taskadero, my parents.
I fantasize about that sometimes, where I'm like, you fantasize about living with my parents
when I'm asking about it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But some people not just mature, but they areاضirozgoobies.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's not mature.
Yes.
Yeah.
And I'm really, really happy about what's going on in this?
This is because my parents, like, their parents, they're dating whiteIX.
They're dating, they're dating whiteIX."
Wait.
Okay.
Um, I don't know.
Doesn't look well anymore than these two together.
Yeah.
We're older.
You should be looking out there, sort of, later.
Okay.
When he started working as elder brother Giovanni's coach-building firm, Stabilmenti Farina,
it was in this shop amidst the intoxicating scent of leather and fresh paint alongside
the buzz of machined metal where his passion for cars ignited and took shape.
His brother recognized his innate talent from the get-go.
At the young age of 18, he was handed his first significant design project, crafting the
radiator for the all-new Fiat Zero, a gig that set him on the path of redefining automotive
aesthetics.
So, he was going to make a radiator?
Yeah, but have you seen this radiator?
In 1920 at the age of 27, Penin journeyed to Detroit, where he somehow managed to secure
an audience with the Henry Ford.
After a short chat, Ford found himself so impressed with Batista that he extended a job
offer to the scrappy Italian.
For anyone in his position, this would have been the highest of honors.
But Penin returned to Italy without accepting the job.
Where did he go there for?
Ah, the pizza.
Well, he's left.
He's like, well, you're putting the sauce on the top of the stuff.
I got to see this with my eyes.
While he was deeply inspired by the industrial scale he had witnessed in the American automotive
landscape, he refused to be a cog in someone else's machine.
He didn't just want to make a mark on the American automotive industry, but the entire global
auto trade.
Throughout the 20s, Batista refined his craft and championed the innovative designs within
Stablementi Farina.
He quickly moved beyond sketchbooks and drawing boards and found himself behind the wheel.
Famously winning the 1921, I asked the Grand San Benado race in a car of his own design.
He even set a track record in the process that remained unbroken for 11 years so this
guy could deal with a wheel.
He can wheel and deal.
These racing endeavors, driven by a profound passion for speed and engineering, proved
to serendipitous bringing him into direct contact with other big shots of the up and
coming Italian auto scene, including a fiery young man who would become a close friend
and legendary collaborator, the one and only Enzo Ferrari.
I thought it was going to be a Pietro Vespa.
Oh, well, I've been good too.
Have we ever talked about Vespa's on the show?
No, but I don't think that's a real guy.
Vespa means wasp in Italian because of how it sounds.
The year 1930 marked a turning point in Batista's career, Penin made the bold decision to break
away from the family business with an ambitious vision to establish a coach building company
that would seamlessly blend artisanal craftsmanship with industrial efficiency.
What an idea.
On May 22nd, 1930, his dream took form when he filed papers to establish Carat Seria
Benin Farina.
I like that he can include his nickname.
Yeah.
It's cool.
He's got a ring to it.
It's also cool that it's like he's made it one word, you know what I mean?
Penin Farina, which is little Farina.
This venture as with any ambitious startup was not without its hurdles.
Batista faced many challenges, securing the needed cash to launch an independent enterprise.
Batista navigated these challenges with a shrewed strategic vision.
He managed to secure financial fraud, he managed to secure financial backing from his wife's
wealthy aunt and significantly from his esteemed friend and titan in the automotive world,
one Vincenzo Lancia.
We talked about Lancia a couple months ago, yeah, and it was a very surprising company.
It was a phone.
Really cool.
Yeah.
Lancia's involvement was more than just monetary support, though.
It was a powerful vote of confidence from within the industry, signaling to the wider
automotive community that Batista was a serious and capable force.
This deep collaboration with Lancia cultivated Penin Farina's willingness to embrace new
manufacturing techniques, a trade that would prove vital for future growth.
In its first year, Karatsariya Penin Farina was a lean startup.
He employed just 18 people and produced a modest 50 car bodies.
The ambition was palpable, with a clear objective to rapidly scale up production to an impressive
rate of 7-8 car bodies per day.
Penin wanted to compete with the big boys in numbers, but offer the quality of bespoke
coach builders in every car that left the line.
The company wasted no time in making its presence felt on the international stage.
At the prestigious 1930 Paris Motor Show, Karatsariya Penin Farina unveiled a stunning collection
of models.
The industry was on full display on chassis from some of Europe's most esteemed brands,
including Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Azota, Franchini and Fiat.
Penin also upgraded a Cadillac V16, proving he wasn't limited to just Italian manufacturers.
That's so sick.
That's really sick.
How annoying would it have been, not annoying, but like if today you still had to buy a chassis
from one company and like select the body from another one?
Got that would take forever.
Yeah.
That's why GM bought the coach company.
What was it?
I forget.
But their emblem wasn't made.
Body by Jake.
Yes, sure.
Fisher?
Why am I pointing on it?
I know what you mean.
They had the little emblem on it.
Yeah.
Inside the door.
Did we ever talk about that?
We did.
We did, right?
Look at us.
Just sure.
Body by Fisher.
Yeah.
Damn.
Okay.
Good pull.
Nice.
Peninferina quickly distinguished itself by embracing modernity and aerodynamics in its
earliest days.
A field of Batista saw not as a mere technicality, but as the very, quote, form of speed.
In the mid 1930s, a period when many in the industry viewed frameless or unibody construction
as a threat to the traditional coachbuilders craft, Peninferina boldly pioneered its use.
They collaborated closely with Launcha, a true innovator of unibody construction, becoming
the first coach builder to adapt their designs to this advanced method.
It's so funny how history repeats itself and everyone is always just scared of the
new thing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
People are still scared of EVs.
No.
Yeah.
And young people don't want to work.
Yeah.
Don't want to work.
Yeah.
Evolution.
Right.
When they put the mere finish on that time magazine, I knew I was.
Wait, is that are you working at time at the printing press?
Whoa.
Oh, the mirror, the mirror, like, oh, I'm the time person of the, yeah, that was the
lamb, remember?
I was probably like 10 at the time, but I was like, this is so dumb.
That's all the mere didn't work very well either.
Yeah.
The person of the year is a amorphous pseudo-faced blob.
I'm going to read about this guy.
And he smells.
I can smell him.
But that's why they have the inserts where you open it up and it's got the fragrance
on it.
The car noir.
Yeah.
Sorry.
This Ford thinking approach culminated in the Lancia Aprilea Aero Dynamica, a groundbreaking
racecar boasting an astonishing low drag coefficient of 0.40, which is the same as a PT cruiser.
But back then, it was very impressive.
By 1939, Karatsarila Pininfruina had experienced her remarkable growth, expanding its workforce
to 400 employees and achieving a production rate of 150 bodies per month.
Damn.
That's a lot.
That's a lot of bodies.
I can barely do two bodies a week.
Yeah.
That's really good.
Strong collaborations with major manufacturers, such as two bodies in 16 months.
Oh, that's true.
Yeah.
Nice.
Strong collaborations with major manufacturers, such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia, and Renault
further cemented their pre-war standing as a premier design and coach building firm.
But with the threat of war bubbling up in other parts of Europe, the Italian company
was about to face its biggest obstacle.
In 1939, the vibrant home of car production at Karatsarila Pininfruina came to a grinding
halt.
The company, with its 400-skilled employees, demonstrated remarkable adaptability, pivoting
its production to support the war effort.
Their workshops once dedicated to crafting luxurious car bodies now turn their attention
to building essential vehicles for the Italian military, including ambulances and specialized
searchlight carriages.
This shift, while necessary, represented a stark departure from the core mission of creating
automotive beauty.
However, the war's devastation struck home for Pininfruina.
The very heart of their operations, the factory in Turin, suffered a catastrophic blow when
a direct hit from allied bombers reduced the factory to rubble.
They had a Fiat, too.
Yeah.
It was also in Turin.
I think they hit Turin pretty hard.
They hit the Ferrari factory in Maranello.
I'm not sure about any other in the Bologna area.
From the ashes of war, Karatsarila Pininfruina embarked on a truly remarkable journey of
rebirth.
Production on how you pronounce Bologna though in English?
Oscar Meyer.
Hey.
Hey.
Hey.
Hey.
Did you see that they're hiring drivers for the Wiener Mobil?
Yeah.
They do.
It's a stint.
When you get hired, it's your job for like a year.
The highest of casualty rate out of any driver.
I'm just kidding.
It's because of the nitrates, yeah, it's the heart disease from driving the Oscar.
So you're the pay is good.
We'll take care of all your hotels, gas.
You get to see the country, but you can only hot dogs.
Come out of the dream job.
They come out of the dashboards.
Yeah, it's a little, it's, it's not even any bugs, it's just a dispenser.
It's like spring loaded too.
Yeah.
Oh, okay.
Wasn't ready for that.
Just scalding hot.
There's no bun.
Yeah, because yeah, because they route the, the cool one, it's around to cook it.
It looks like it's going to be a cigarette lighter, but it's just a red hot hot dog.
And she's out.
Well, apply today.
Production cautiously resumed with models like the Lancia, Aprilia, Bylex, signaling the
first tentative steps towards recovery.
The early 1950s witnessed a rapid and impressive resurgence, as the factory workshops International
Famine's success began to soar once more as they rebuilt their home shop.
The definitive statement of this resurgence arrived in 1947 with the debut of the Sistalia
202 at the Mostra Delia Carrazzaria, Italiana, whoo, that was a lot.
This car nail in it.
I just want to take a second to appreciate your pronunciation today.
Thank you.
I'm on it today.
Sistalia.
And by it, I mean Ritalin.
I think my friend was on Ritalin in the 90s.
That's like math, isn't it?
What?
Isn't it like the same act?
No, dude.
It's like Adderall, but like 25% less.
It's a stimulant.
It stimulates the, oh, that is beautiful speaking of stimulating my frontal lobe.
That's like good looking car, dude, wow, especially in bed.
Oh, yeah.
This is an audio format, but I'm going to put, let's describe the car.
It's very swoopy.
It's swoopy.
It's got the long nose short deck.
It reminds me.
It's like if there was an Italian kind of like e-type jag, yeah, is what I would say,
with like an ovalish kind of grill on the front.
It's got some like Porsche 356 vibes a little bit.
It's got some Mercedes vibes from the air as well.
The headlights.
Very much.
They're SL inspired.
This is years before this is so sick.
By the way, healthline.com, the difference between Adderall and methamphetamine, while Adderall
and methamphetamine are two different drugs, some of their differences are more pronounced
than others.
What?
So.
That's the worst AI summation.
This is from a website.
It doesn't have an author.
So it probably is AI.
Yeah, correct.
Got to watch out.
I think Ritalin is less intense than Adderall by really like a factor of four.
I've never.
25.
That's what I was told.
When I took Ritalin.
Got you.
I haven't taken any of that.
I had a Ritalin prescription when I was in college, and it helped me, but I was like,
why don't you use, like you get that, is this going to change you or whatever and the
analogy that was used to make me more comfortable is like, well, if you're near sighted or whatever
you wear glasses, you know.
So Dr.
Beard.
Dr.
Beard, yeah.
Have you ever seen the movie Limitless?
Yeah.
It's like that.
But we used to, if there was like a big paper and I was behind it, people would be like,
hey, are you coming out or what are you, it's like, no, I got a paper, I got to ride the
R train.
R train.
Yeah.
So we called it.
All right.
Dude.
Yep.
But nobody else knew what it meant.
And they just, they just stopped talking to me.
I probably could have used some of that in college.
That's for sure.
Anyway.
So yes, the, the Cicitalia 202 was not merely a design, it was a revolutionary, quote, sculpture
in motion.
It was immediately recognized for its groundbreaking, Bonton style, a design philosophy that integrated
fenders and bodywork into a seamless, flowing form.
I think in English, it's Pantoon, Bonton, yeah, you're probably right, yeah.
This design philosophy fundamentally influenced the direction of post-war car design globally.
The significance of the Cicitalia 202 was so profound that it achieved an unprecedented
honor.
It began the first automobile ever included in the permanent collection of the museum
of modern art in New York.
Oh, so it should be in a museum.
If you've ever been to MoMA in New York, you probably, maybe it's still there.
I don't know.
Well, this extraordinary recognition transcended the automotive world, cementing pin and
infaring his place, not just in vehicle history, but in the broader world of art and industrial
design.
You've got to steal this car, the case movie, yeah, that's kind of cool, right?
You drive it out of the juke.
They should do an expendables, but with like car guys.
So you get Vin Diesel, Nick Cage, oh, I see.
So anybody who's been in like a big car movie, yeah, okay, I was going to say James Taylor,
but he passed away, didn't he?
Was that folk singer?
Yeah.
He was in Tulane Blacktop.
You ever seen that?
No.
Dude, Tulane Blacktop.
It's a bit of a slow burn Joe, but that's very good.
Dude, any movie that I watched before, like 98, I'm like, this is so slow, what the hell
is going on?
The internet has just broken my brain.
Yeah.
I'll lend it to you.
Do you have a bluer?
Do you have a bluer?
Do you have something I can play bluer as?
Do you have it on VHS?
Because I could do that.
I just popped out into a circuit city and grab one.
Okay.
What do you mean?
Said he got, they were worried about their kid, the kid like, oh, he's going on and like
getting his own YouTube video kind of stuff where he's like, I want to do ABCs and they'd
put on ABCs, but he figured out how to use the remote to do something, just brain rotting,
you know?
And so what they did is they got, they ran it through a VCR to record like a playlist
for them.
And now he just goes into the room and turns on the TV and latches the, whoa, that's
pretty cool.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
That's a good idea.
Yeah.
On the old, the cathode ray tube and I really want, I've been, I've been bringing this up
every so often I bring out to our March people, but like, I would love to do like physical
media of our video.
Like high low on a blue ray or something, but putting high low on a VHS is actually way
cooler.
Or laser disc.
Laser.
Yes.
That'd be sick.
My friend Brian does like mischief style stuff.
Like he's like really good at, so he released a dukey 30th anniversary on a bunch of different
devices.
So like one was like a big mouth billy bass that had one song on it.
One of them was like, like they all come on different like nostalgic devices.
Yeah.
That's sick.
Yeah.
It was really cool.
Or that was Chicago like he went to CVS whatever.
And then there was a big, there was a big mouth billy, the bass out and I was like, Oh,
I got billy bass.
And then so I like took it out, mounted it above the door.
Like I was psyched on this thing and like hit play and then he like came, maybe he's going
to go out or whatever and he came out out and I was like, like, I mounted it.
He didn't get it for the apartment.
He got it as like a joke for his girlfriend.
But he said I was so happy that he couldn't tell me that the billy bass wasn't for me.
And so that was very nice of him.
Yeah.
And then he goes back to CVS to get the billy, the bass to give as the joke, as he originally
intended.
And no, he said the lady looked at him and she just goes, that good.
Yeah.
That's awesome.
I would love to modify a big mouth billy bass to be a Bluetooth speaker that like, yeah,
while you're listening to your music, it's like head banging, that'd be sick.
Okay.
1947 marked the beginning of pinion for in his fruitful collaboration with Maserati.
This led to the design of the first Maserati production car, the A6 1500 coupe, which
sported an innovative two-liter, 120 horsepower straight six, which pushed the two-seater to
the current performance limits.
Pinion Farina had achieved a global reputation for style and grace with their designs.
In 1951, they designed their first American cars.
There was the Nash Ambassador and the Nash Heli.
Yeah.
I did not know that.
Me neither.
Batista was awarded the esteemed title of Cavalier de Lavoro or the Knight of Labor by the
president of Italy.
The next year, two of the design houses models made their debuts.
Yeah, the Lancia, Aurelia, B24, and the Maserati A6 GCS Burlenetta, some mouthful, solidifying
their place in the industry.
The mid-1950s marked another pivotal turning point for Pinion Farina, signaling a decisive
and strategic shift from its cherished artisanal roots towards a large scale industrial production.
This transformation was largely spearheaded by the creation of the Alfa Romeo, Juliet
of Spider, a car so captivating that Batista himself, affectionately nicknamed it Fairgirl.
The Juliet of Spider, designed by Pinion Farina on a modified sprint coupé chassis, was
introduced in 1955 at the insistent urging of one Max Hoffman, the influential US importer.
Hoffman, possessing a keen eye for market demand, had recognized the immense potential for
small, elegant sports cars in America, and pressed Alfa to deliver.
The car was an immediate and resounding success, captivating buyers with its elegant lines
and spirited performance.
It proved to be the jump into industrialization that Pinion had needed.
Their factory pumped out more than 27,000 units, yeah, its basic appearance endured for
nearly a decade before being succeeded by the equally iconic Dueto Spider.
The success of the Juliet of Spider validated Pinion Farina's hybrid approach, providing
the crucial financial stability and operational experience necessary for even larger scale
projects.
This period firmly established Pinion Farina's strategic agility, demonstrating its capacity
to evolve beyond a niche luxury coach builder to become a significant manufacturing partner
for major automakers, a crucial expansion of capabilities for its long-term viability
and growth.
They have to be the biggest coach builder at this point.
27,000 chassis per year, that's a lot.
Joe, it would be their next collaboration that would plant Pinion Farina firmly in the
halls of automotive history.
I thought that was going to be a bad butt.
You know, you hear butt, and you're like, oh, is this a bad butt or a good butt?
It's a good butt.
Yeah.
You're doing so well.
But they're going to be better.
Yeah.
We'll be right back after these messages.
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Now back to the show.
The automotive world ever a hotbed of gossip and speculation buzzed a skepticism at a potential
deal with painting and Enzo they'll never last the naysayers announced.
How could two prima donna's exist in one partnership?
It's a great question.
But as with many great partnerships, we've got three here.
There was a brain.
But as with many great partnerships, there was a brain and a bean counter.
But with these two alphas, both were at the drawing board together.
Everyone was convinced the deal would be over before the new year.
Each company head was accustomed to absolute control in their respective domains.
Enzo and racing and engineering, Batista in styling exclusive cars yet barked in 1951.
A legendary meeting took place though defy all predictions and shape automotive history
for decades to come.
The two tines of industry agreed to meet on neutral ground, a restaurant in Thorntana,
a small town strategically located precisely halfway between Turin and Modena.
That was famous for their hazelnut cookies.
Do you think it'd be a cool YouTube channel idea if I took like the menu from meetings
of big moments and cooked that meal and then was like, oh, this is what Enzo ate.
And he was like, she started well with an espresso and it would have been this brand.
And then he had a little grape.
I think that's a cool idea.
It wouldn't have to just be automotive, but it could be like Stalin and theater Roosevelt
met and they had a grapefruit, gangus con and Sandra the great anytime a name from history
is met.
And then you can yeah, you can start to do it like deadliest warrior style where it can
be like people who absolutely never met, but it's like imagining a meal between these
two people.
Oh, yeah, yeah, imagine the Taliban ate this and the Greeks ate this.
Oh, it's like different parts of yeah, yeah, they had like a meal would win well, I don't
know.
Well, yeah, and then you then you hire Navy seals to come in and eat the meal to demonstrate
what it would look like if they ate the most.
Imagine if Pol Pot had a meal with Jane Goodall, what would they have eat?
Yeah, the short answer to your question, Joe, is yes, that's a good idea.
They all eat grapefruit.
Yep, sorry, just imagine they had like the Taliban versus the IRA in one episode.
You know, what is that like what?
What are we doing here?
They had like Viet Cong versus I can't like not ninjas, I forget.
You know, that shows, and one against Viet Cong in their native land, Viet Cong are
going to win.
It was crazy.
That shows crazy.
Anyway, let's say the same about Taliban too, because the Kiber pass going up against
it.
I mean, we sent the whole US Army against them for 20 years and we couldn't do anything.
Yeah.
Hilly terrain.
Tough to fight them.
Yeah.
Kill an idea.
Go ahead.
So, this choice of dining venue was a deliberate and diplomatic maneuver orchestrated to avoid
either man having to concede home turf and risk and ego driven standoff.
Getting pin and Farina's got a little bit of a, as we refer to it now, Napoleon complex.
Is his name's Benin?
He's been short.
He's been this little guy his whole life and he tried to, he took over his name.
He took ownership of it.
But it sounds like meetin with Enzo who's also an notoriously bullheaded individual, but
he was, he wasn't short, but he was ugly.
So he probably had some weird baggage surrounding him being so, but ugly, he was ugly.
He was ugly.
You, you see a picture of him, you're like, and not my cup of tea, but like, he's quite
dashing in some respects.
Yeah.
You, you look at this picture and you tell me that like, people on TikTok wouldn't be
like making fan cams of Enzo Ferrari if he wasn't alive today.
Yeah.
He's got, or for sure.
Is that a picture?
Yeah.
Yeah.
But at this point, he's like, in his 70s or something, maybe 60s?
No, this is like in the 50s.
So he's like, he's probably like 50s, right?
Okay.
He was like 53 at this.
And this is a 1950s, 53s, so he's probably looking a little rougher than that picture that
I showed you.
Anyway.
I digress.
They got Adam Dryer to play and they should have gotten, I don't know, I'm blanking
his name.
He's the Duke from the beer.
Oh, Jeremy Allen White.
Yeah.
They should have gotten Jeremy Allen White to play him.
Yeah.
Right.
He'd be good.
You would have the fire too.
I mean, Adam Dryer's got that like, and then the meals in that show too, you could just
yeah.
So the atmosphere of this meeting as legend has it was one of mutual respect rather than
confrontation over plates of pasta and a glass of barolo.
They found common ground in their shared passion for creating the world's finest automobile
spark.
I was going to, it sounds like someone set up this meeting like, look, like the business
end was like, we need this deal to go through.
Let's set up this meeting because these guys are going to tear each other's throats
and then they were just like, hey, what's up, man?
Yeah.
Pretty good food.
Like what you do.
Yeah.
It's great.
Let's do this.
When you, when you like, you're, I mean, you have more experience with this, but when
you're like, oh, my kids going to really like act up and then they out of spite, they
act really good.
Oh, right.
I've not had that.
I've had it.
I'll try to bring it up.
Oh, God, you know, really, it's really going to piss me off.
If you guys don't start screaming, it works, I'll try it today by one of the aquarium
after this.
Oh, that's fine.
Long beach one.
Yeah.
Nice.
By the end of that fateful conversation, historic agreement was sealed.
Pininferina would henceforth, quote, be in charge of all design aspects of Ferrari.
I love it.
It's great.
And this is the like, hey, I'm going to hand it over to you.
I'm going to control performance, precision, you control design must have a beautiful hell
of a lunch.
Yeah.
That's a good lunch.
They let that burrollo do the talking.
But he's to ever the visionary did not arrive alone.
He brought his 25 year old son, Sergio Pininferina or Sergio Farina.
Do they change their name to Pininferina?
I don't think so.
I think they did.
What?
Yeah.
And his name is Sergio Pininferina.
Whoa.
Yeah.
Okay.
Sergio was a recent mechanical engineering graduate from the polytechnic of can you do that?
You can change your name.
You just changed your last name.
Let's do it.
Do you think there was any paperwork or is this back at a time where he just told people
that was his name and stuck.
Anyways, go on.
Anyway, this was a clear signal of Batista's intent to groom the next generation of leadership.
And Sergio was immediately thrust into the fire.
He was entrusted with managing the delicate and immensely fruitful relationship between
these two companies.
Dude, let's create 25 while Sergio possessed an energetic yet affable personality, a
good sense of humor and strong empathy.
These were all qualities that would prove invaluable in navigating the strong wills of
both Enzo and Batista.
Sergio's ability to act as a buffer and translator and to reconcile these visions with
practicality and shared the partnership remain a drama free.
In the early days of the partnership, Pininferina demonstrated its profound commitment and
strategic foresight by building some prototypes at its own expense.
Their bold proposition was simple yet irresistible.
Quote, we'll design and prototype your next models essentially for free.
If you like them, build them, and if you build them, we expect you to build them with
us.
This offer was a calculated risk that showcased Pininferina's unwavering confidence in
their own design capabilities and their long-term strategic vision.
Dude, it's back work on this level of business is insane.
That is crazy.
Sergio didn't just want to win the contract.
Sure, but they are making a shit ton of cars still.
So it's like, we're going to make one of these if you like it, irres.
Yeah.
So I think it's pretty good.
Sergio didn't just want to win the contract.
He wanted to build a deep foundation of trust and show a commitment.
And so a man known for being notoriously demanding just like his dad.
This bold move secured their exclusive design contract, ensuring that nearly every road
going Ferrari for the next six decades would bear Pininferina's distinct styling touch.
I wonder if that was built into the contract or if they just kept renewing contracts
with them?
Because imagine being in the 60s and be like, in 2015, I don't think it must have been
renewed.
Anyway, they probably thought they're going to have flying cars in 2015, you know what
I mean?
And we do.
Here we are.
In 2015, they climbed to work in our cars.
The depth of this bond was further underscored when Enzo Ferrari himself eventually appointed
Batista Pininferina and honorary VP at Ferrari.
This title underscored the deep and almost familial connection between the two companies.
Georgio would later solidify this bond by joining Ferrari's Board of Directors in 1969.
This partnership became the cornerstone of Pininferina's global brand identity, elevating
both companies to legendary status and demonstrating how a symbiotic relationship between a visionary
engineer and an artistic designer could create automotive masterpieces that transcended
mere transportation.
The results of that fateful tortona meeting were immediate.
It ushered in an era of unparalleled automotive beauty at the Pininferina HQ.
In 1952, just a year after the handshake, the Ferrari 212 Inter-Cabriolet debuted draped
in a Pininferina body.
This marked the very first prancing horse to wear their distinctive design, setting a precedent
for decades to come.
This was swiftly followed in 1954 by the iconic 250 GT, a car that defined the aesthetic
of Ferrari grand tours.
Under the leadership of Sergio, a stunning array of beautiful cars emerged from the design
house.
The 1959 Ferrari 250 GT short wheelbase quickly became an archetype for the Ferrari Pininferina
technical aesthetic process, epitomizing a perfect blend of sporty performance and timeless
elegance.
The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT became a surprise global hit, affectionately known as a quote
family Ferrari, proved Pininferina's ability to infuse practicality with undeniable style.
The 1962 250 GT, with its wind swept lines quickly ascended to the status of the most
iconic Ferrari racer of all time.
That is a goaded car, it's aerodynamic features including an elongated hood punctuated
by three large radiator inlets and a distinctive turned out spoiler were honed through relentless
race experience and design.
Sergio Pininferina played a pivotal role in shaping Ferrari's overall future, famously
convincing Enzo to embrace the mid-engine layout for road cars, whoa, this was a radical
departure for Enzo, who quote did not want to know anything, about six cylinder engine
in his cars let alone in the rear position.
This vision first materialized in groundbreaking concepts like the Dino Burlenetto special,
which heavily influenced the production Dino 206 GT.
The Dino initially met with resistance from purists for not being considered a quote real
Ferrari due to its V6 engine.
That's so funny that there was a purist, like 10 years after the first car rolls off
there's purists that are like ringing their hands.
The Dino quickly changed opinions once clients had the chance to see it up close and drive
it, becoming one of the most beloved Ferrari's ever produced.
1968 Ferrari P6 Concept, which you mentioned at the top of the show, unveiled it during
Motor Show, further previewed the styling cues out, define future mid-engine Ferrari's.
This was 68.
Isn't that insane?
Because it looks like an 80's car.
Wow, most notably the Burlenetto Boxer, Pinn and Farina pushed Enzo into this mid-engine
revolution, leading to the epic 4,390cc V12 BB, with its distinct two-part body divided
by the waistline, a design trick still used today by many manufacturers.
Under Sergio's meticulous watch, Pinn and Farina styled nearly every road going Ferrari
from the mid-60s to the early 2000s, creating an unparalleled lineage of legends.
This included the brutal yet beautiful 365 GTB 4 Daytona, the fearsome 288GTO, the poster
worthy Testerosa with its dramatic side-stakes and aggressive stance, it became an undeniable
icon of the 1980s.
The Testerosa is one of the coolest cars ever, I think.
But after we did the video where we drove, I think not the 308.
The Mondial.
Mondial, thank you, Joe.
We visited that shop where they were working a bunch of ventures for our eyes, including
two Testeroses.
The maintenance on those cars, he's crazy.
They have to take like...
That guy, the mechanic was insane.
Yeah.
I would not want to be in a room with that guy.
He's very meticulously loved what he does, but like...
Very particular.
Geez, man.
But dude, these cars demand that level.
They demand that level.
If you do something like the tolerances are so tight and like the way they're designed,
if you half-ass it, the car is going to...
You're going to pay for it eventually.
It has to be done that way, otherwise the car is not going to last.
And I feel like there's no good in the room.
There's no good in the room.
Yes.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Even to the point where like non-structural bolts and screws or whatever, still probably
have a torque rating that you have to follow and use the specific, you know, whatever.
They're fragile cars.
Yeah.
The tester also, by the point being, was like, it's a sick car, but like, it's so demanding
to keep so literally just running, not even just driving, like, yeah, operational.
There's also the Extreme F40 and the futuristic Ferrari Enzo, which bore their unmistakable touch.
I don't know.
Did the Enzo?
That's called the **** of the Enzo.
The Ferrari partnership driven by both Batista's initial vision and Sergio's diplomatic and technical
prowess was more than a collaboration.
It was a co-creation of automotive legends, setting benchmarks for performance and aesthetics.
They're resonated globally with Ferrari fans.
If you have a Ferrari Enzo out there, I would love to drive it.
I got to put that on my list.
My bumper to bumper list.
I have a list of cars for bumper to bumper that I want to drive.
If you guys have any suggestions for Nolan's bumper to bumper list, email pascassadonomedia.com
You're pretty high up on the list here.
We don't want to drive your centra.
We'll be right back after these messages.
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Now back to the show.
Beyond Enzo's hallowed halls, Pin and Farina's influence extended to a multitude of other
marks showcasing their remarkable versatility.
Yeah, the Lancia Florida, a visionary dream car concept, profoundly influenced subsequent
Lancia production vehicles like the Flaminiya, leaving an indelible mark on their design
language.
You also had the Fiat 130 coupé with its distinctive square rigged outline, stood as another accomplished
design, demonstrating Pin and Farina's ability to elevate even more conventional platforms.
Their longstanding relationship with Pujo yielded numerous successes, including the Pujo
504 and its elegant coupé and cabriolet variance, y'all said the Pujo 406 coupé in particular,
which was widely hailed as one of Pin and Farina's finest efforts.
Turning back to clock a little bit in the 1950s, Pin and Farina was trying to accommodate
its industrial ambitions and the increasing demand for its design and manufacturing services.
They erected a sprawling new state-of-the-art facility outside of Turin, which opened its doors
in 1958.
This move quickly ramped up production, achieving an impressive output exceeding 11,000 car
bodies by 1960.
A landmark achievement in technological leadership, one that would profoundly influence future
designs, came in 1972 with the completion of Pin and Farina's full-sized wind tunnel.
This was not just any facility, it was Italy's first wind tunnel capable of testing full-scale
cars and one of the only seven such advanced facilities in the entire world at the time.
This investment moved Pin and Farina beyond subjective art to objective science in design,
particularly as aerodynamics became increasingly critical for performance and fuel efficiency.
It's always like a big achievement when car companies make a wind tunnel, but I'm always
like, it's like a fan and a little bit of smoke.
I like a slow motion camera, so a little more complicated than that.
Yeah, I know.
I know.
I was not like an idiot.
I took a few years to figure out how to make a little trail of smoke and some smoke.
I thought you were going to say something I was thinking of is we were moving toward
aerodynamic cars before aerodynamics was the primary concern, saying I think we would
have gotten there anyway, which I think is interesting because they look better.
But I think even after these achievements, like the wedge era came, and wedges are like
horrible, now we know that wedges are pretty bad aerodynamically.
It's so funny that they didn't, they're like, oh, let's make them look more like an airplane,
but that kind of, the physics don't really translate on earth.
Present day, the new millennium was difficult for Pin and Farina.
The car sector was contracting dramatically around the world.
While Pin and Farina continue to garner prestigious international awards, its sales struggled
to keep pace with expectations for future growth.
The company found itself operating out loss for several consecutive years, accumulating
substantial debt.
By 2015, reports indicated that Pinin's company was a staggering $57 million in the red.
This escalating financial distress necessitated a quote, strong bank intervention to avert collapse
and ensure the company's continuity.
In response to these pressures, some of Pin and Farina's core, but increasingly unprofitable
activities were tossed.
Most significant shift came in the manufacturing arm.
By 2011, the company made the difficult decision to announce it would cease all automotive
production.
This painful but necessary step aimed to shed unprofitable segments and streamline operations
for survival.
They started designing and building some things that you'd see all over the world, like
the coke-free-style machines.
Really?
Oh, really?
Yes.
What?
Yeah.
I mean, they do it.
Cool.
Management clearly recognized that relying solely on the traditional automotive market was
not viable.
The human cost of this restructuring was significant, though, with employment, figures, plummeting
from a peak of 2,768 people in 2006 to just 821 by 2012, reflecting the severe decline
in manufacturing.
Good Lord.
That period represented a critical inflection point, forcing Pin and Farina to fundamentally
reevaluate its business model and seek a new strategic direction.
The mounting financial pressures and the challenging automotive landscape brought serious
change to the doors in 2015, when the Indian multinational Mahindra group stepped in.
They offered a much-needed lifeline to the struggling design house.
On December 14, 2015, Mahindra and its affiliate, Tech Mahindra, acquired a 76% stake in
Pin and Farina SPA for approximately $168 million.
The initial acquisition cost for the controlling stake was reported to be around $28 million,
a shockingly low valuation for a brand of Pin and Farina stasher.
That's simple.
Excuse me.
In addition to the cash payout, Mahindra provided guarantees for Pin and Farina's creditors and
pledged further investment in the company's future.
Mahindra wanted Pin and Farina's design chops on hand for their own design group, something
they felt would be a huge differentiator in the current market.
The company makes SUVs, utility vehicles, pickup trucks, light and heavy commercial vehicles
and tractors for the Indian market, a $25 billion market, and they employ more than 300,000
people.
Damn.
Yeah, for Pin and Farina, the acquisition gave them cash in the bank and a big global partner
to keep the invoices coming.
Sadly, though, this deal pretty much wrapped up their exclusive partnership with Ferrari.
While earlier models like the Ferrari, California, 458 and FF still featured Pin and Farina styling,
their successors, the California T, the 488 and the GT4 Luso, did not.
That kind of sucks that one of their last designs was the FF.
Is this...
The FF's pretty cool, though.
Looking...
We drove one on the channel and we had a really great time.
I know.
It's a great...
Performing car.
I just think it looks a little goofy.
It's a little goofy, but dude, you know, get some right wheels on it, maybe lowered a little bit.
It's nice.
It's nice.
Put like a big horse tail on the end.
Yeah, now we're talking.
The launch of the LaFerrari in 2013 designed entirely by Ferrari's newly established
Centro-style Ferrari was a clear signal of Ferrari's strategic shift towards in-house design.
The F12 Berlinetta was notably the last Pin and Farina design supercar to bear the
Pin and Farina badge.
The F12's sick of sell.
F12 was really...
You know what?
I might be thinking of the F12.
It's the one I really like.
The FF's fine.
The F12's dope as hell.
Italians collectively poured one out for their fallen homies and looked towards the future.
This forced Pin and Farina to step out of Ferrari's shadow and carve out a new identity as an
independent design house, even capable of producing its own branded vehicles.
But the continued work on special custom commissioned one-off project for Ferrari's demonstrates
that the relationship, while fundamentally changed, is not entirely severed.
Under the new ownership of the Mahinder group, Pin and Farina embarked on a bold and necessary
path of reinvention, strategically focusing on its core strengths in high-end design
and engineering services like the Coke freestyle machine.
The company continued to...
You want to make the worst tasty Coke ever?
Yeah.
But give your sprite some vanilla.
Why not?
How about some barks in there, too?
Yes.
Free one.
Orange root beer?
Sure.
Orange cream root beer?
F*** it.
The company continued to engage in prestigious bespoke commissions and cultivate strategic partnerships
across various sectors from its traditional automotive roots to architecture, industrial
design and beyond.
This diversification, initiated decades prior, now became central to its operational model.
The most significant and symbolic manifestation of this new chapter arrived with the creation
of Automobili Pin and Farina GMBH.
This new entity is headquartered in Munich, Germany, yet deeply rooted in the Italian
design firm's heritage.
It was established with a singular long-held purpose to finally realize pinnions and
enduring dream of creating a car exquisite enough to bear his own with your name.
The culmination of this ambition was the Automobili Pin and Farina Bhattista Hypercar, an all-electric
performance vehicle that made its public debut to widespread acclaim at the 2019 Geneva
Motor Show.
I think James went back.
James and Jesse went there.
I wrote the bumper to bumper on it.
There you go.
It was as of yet unseen, but because it was owned by Mahindra,
all of the articles were in Indian, so I had to go to Indian websites and translate
and figure out the specs.
But it's a beautiful car.
It's super cool.
People have been spotting them.
I think they've maybe only a little over a hundred have made it out of the factory so
far, but they're being spotted in the wild.
So this car is powered by a formidable 120 kilowatt battery pack supplied by Remont's
Automobili, driving four individual motors that deliver a combined output of 1,400 kilowatts
equivalent to 1,900 horsepower and a colossal stump pulling 2,300 Newton meters of torque.
And I'm sure a lot of stumps will be ripped out by this car.
The car features a lightweight carbon fiber monocox chassis, which carries a whole thing
to a top speed of 222 miles per hour.
Very cool.
The production of the Batista commenced in 2022 and was limited to an exclusive run of
just 150 units, each meticulously hand-built by a pinnacle in his master artisans at their
dedicated artillery in Gambiano, Italy.
The Batista represents pinnacle in his bold attempt to leap into the business to consumer
territory with its own singular super car, serving as a touchstone for luxury electric
vehicles and an inspiration for all major manufacturers.
I love business to consumer business.
That's pretty cool.
One of my favorite business models.
It's top three for sure.
It's difficult to look back at all the hundreds of designs that came out of Karatsariya
Ben and Farina over the last 100 years and find a dud.
Their cars are timeless and elegant and their success rate is second to none when it comes
to universally loved designs.
Most of that is due to Batista's unwavering confidence in his own taste and ability
to hire like-minded people.
Sadly, that heritage has fallen victim to volatile markets and acquisitions.
But despite all of this, we are reminded that at least one nugget of pinnacle in his
soul lives on in the Batista, one of the most badass and stylish EVs ever built.
Today, pinnacle is building future-facing city-changing mobility transports like Maglev, trains
and buses, as well as buildings and fancy sewed machines.
Some of the most interesting clients pinnacle are taking on today are Honda with their
Restomod NSX project with JAS Motorsports that will release a limited amount of the
race-inspired cars to the public.
They're also building a billion-dollar housing community in Dubai with that to solely
luxury.
They'll be so fancy.
They'll make Porsche drivers feel like they're rolling around and Volkswagen bugs.
So pretty much back to their roots.
And that's the story of pinnacle and Farina.
We did it.
It was a long one.
Thanks for sticking with us.
A lot of history there.
So the riddling thing, I'm pretty sure, is it something I heard when I was a kid in
the 90s and it's just stuck in my head and I just thought it was true.
Like Nath?
I just thought it was true because I heard it one time and it's just stuck with me.
Nick Swordsden's got a bit where he's like, I heard that they say that heroin's harder
to hurt.
It's easier to quit doing heroin than it is to quit smoking cigarettes.
So I tried heroin.
They're wrong.
Anyway, thank you guys so much for listening.
Thank you, Bart, for being here.
Thank you, Joe.
Good to have you back, dude.
It's good to see you guys.
I'm so happy to be back.
Yeah, yeah.
We'll be back next week.
Stick with us.
It's past gas.
Bye.
Bye-bye.
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About this episode
Pininfarina's journey from a small Italian coachbuilder to a legendary name in automotive design is explored in depth. The episode highlights the company's innovative spirit, beginning with Batista Pininfarina's early work and his collaboration with Enzo Ferrari, which led to iconic designs like the Ferrari 250 GT and the mid-engine revolution. The discussion also covers Pininfarina's challenges, including financial struggles and the impact of the Mahindra acquisition, ultimately leading to the creation of the all-electric Batista hypercar. The episode is rich with historical anecdotes and insights into the evolution of automotive design.
aerodynamic features
ambulances
drag coefficient
in-house design
mid-engine
Pininfarina
restomod
supercar
uni-body construction
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
BMW 6 Series
Cadillac V16
Chevrolet Cavalier
Chevrolet Corvette
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Ferrari 195 S
Ferrari 212 Inter
Ferrari 250 GT
Ferrari 250 GTO
Ferrari 458
Ferrari Dino 206 GT
Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
Ferrari F40
Ferrari LaFerrari
Fiat 130 3200 Coupe
Ford Freestyle
Fso Prima
Hindustan Ambassador
Jaguar E-Type
Lancia Aprilia
Lancia Aurelia
Lancia Flaminia
Mercedes-Benz SL
Mitsubishi Endeavor
Nash Ambassador
Nissan Juke
Peugeot 406
Peugeot 504
Porsche 356
Porsche Cayman
Renault Wind
Skoda Rapid
Toyota Sienna
Volkswagen Bus
Original notes
Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/463GZoO] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance.
This week on Past Gas, we’re telling the story of Pininfarina — the small Italian coachbuilder that became the world’s most iconic design house. Before their name appeared on Ferraris and Peugeots, Battista “Pinin” Farina was just a kid in his brother’s shop dreaming bigger than Detroit. From turning down a job offer from Henry Ford to creating the MoMA-worthy Cisitalia 202, Pininfarina quickly rewrote the rules of car design. And after one legendary lunch with Enzo Ferrari, they’d go on to shape nearly every iconic Ferrari for the next six decades.
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Past Gas
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