>“The Aesthetic of Motoring: 90 Years of Pininfarina” will highlight the variety and versatility of Pininfarina’s designs throughout its 90-year history.
The Petersen Automotive Museum has unveiled a brand-new outstanding exhibit in honor of the Italian design firm and coachbuilder Pininfarina.
“The Aesthetic of Motoring: 90 Years of Pininfarina” is located in the Armand Hammer Foundation Gallery and features the evolution of the Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, highlighting their influence through a curated display of key automobiles that best represents their rich 90-year history.
The vehicles on display include a 1931 Cadillac Model425A Boattail Roadster, 1947 Cisitalia 202 Coupe, 1966 Dino Berlinetta 206 GT Prototype, and a 2019 Automobil Pininfarina “Battista.” Replacing the 1966 Dino Berlinetta 206 GT Prototype in April 2021 will be the last vehicle that Pininfarina bodied for a private client, a 1967 Ferrari 365P Berlinetta Speciale “Tre Posti.”
“With its commitment to elegant, aerodynamic design and small-scale production, Pininfarina has created some of the most innovative and revered car designs in the history of the automobile.”
Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director, Terry L. Karges.
Here’s a look at the vehicles on display for the exhibit “The Aesthetic of Motoring: 90 Years of Pininfarina”
1931 Cadillac Model 452A Boattail Roadster
Built for the Maharaja of Orchha in India, this Cadillac was intended for the somewhat unusual purpose of tiger hunting and is believed to be the first Pinin Farina body mounted on a “foreign” (non-Italian) chassis.
Its six velvet-lined gun lockers and elevated shooting seat behind the passenger compartment exemplify two of the near-infinite ways that coachbuilders during the height of the Classic era were able to tailor their creations to satisfy the needs of clients.
The Cadillac’s engine was the first to be “styled” to have a clean and sophisticated look.
1947 Cisitalia 202 Coupe
Consorzio Industriale Sportiva Italia (Cisitalia) was one of several small Italian firms that produced specialty sports cars on Fiat components during the immediate postwar period.
By: Sports Car Digest Title: “90 Years of Pininfarina” Exhibit Debuts at Petersen Automotive Museum Sourced From: sportscardigest.com/90-years-of-pininfarina-exhibit/ Published Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2021 10:03:13 +0000
If we had to use one word to describe the bikes that roll out of Holger Breuer’s workshop, it would be ‘crisp.’ Whether he’s building a bobber or a scrambler, the man behind HB-Custom has an eye for perfect proportions and liveries that pop. Even when he’s working with a tired old Suzuki dual-sport as a donor, Holger manages to make magic.
This 1994 Suzuki DR650 came to the HB-Custom workshop in Husum, Germany, all the way from Berlin. Holger’s client actually booked two bikes in at once; an old BMW boxer to turn into a bobber for solo rides, and the Suzuki, which was destined for around-town duties and the occasional two-up jaunt.
The bike arrived as a rolling chassis with a very loose brief, so Holger envisioned a svelte scrambler for whipping through Berlin’s city streets. He’s built a number of handsome custom Honda Dominators, and figured that he could apply the same formula to the Suzuki DR650. And he was right.
But first, the Suzuki’s well-worn motor needed attention. Holger tore it down and rebuilt it, complete with new seals and gaskets and a fresh coat of paint. This engine might be almost three decades old, but it’s clean enough to eat off of.
Lionel Duke builds a little bit of everything. His Nice, France-based custom shop, Duke Motorcycles, has transformed Honda Goldwings, Kawasaki ER6s, and Ducati Scramblers into unique one-off creations in recent years. But the most interesting thing to come from his garage actually isn’t a bike at all—it’s a box full of parts.
More specifically, a box full of parts to convert any stock BMW R NineT into a radical-looking plug-and-play custom streetfighter. It was this very kit that caught the eye of Duke’s latest client, who saw a picture of Lionel’s prototype build online and decided he wanted one for himself.
The client loved the original kit’s supercar-inspired design, but wanted a few unique touches of their own to truly make it theirs. And Lionel was more than happy to oblige.
“He had been asking around Parisian workshops that offered their own R nineT kits,” he says, “but none of them were willing to modify their standard parts to suit his tastes. I told him that it wasn’t a problem for me, as I actually prefer to do different things on each project.”
By: Kurt Spurlock Title: Custom à la carte: A BMW R nineT streetfighter from France Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/bmw-r-ninet-streetfighter Published Date: Mon, 22 May 2023 17:01:16 +0000
We’re feeling both retro and futuristic this week, so we’ve rounded up bikes that cover the full spectrum. Leading the charge is Verge’s new Mika Häkkinen edition electric bike, followed by the new Fantic Caballero 700 scrambler. We then profile a Yamaha SR400 from Australia, before coming in to land with a fetching Triton from France.
Verge Mika Häkkinen Signature Edition With an impressive 51 Formula One podiums and two championships to his credit with Lotus and McLaren, the Flying Finn knows mechanical excellence. So when Mika Häkkinen partnered with electric superbike manufacturer Verge Motorcycles, you knew it was something worth paying attention to.
Häkkinen joined forces with Verge early in 2023, and instead of just a plain endorsement, Verge announced that Häkkinen is now part of the company’s advisory board and has personally designed his own limited-edition bike. Capped at 100 units, each Häkkinen Signature Edition Verge comes with a numbered plaque with Mika’s signature, unique cosmetics and will sell for around $87,000.
By: Alfonso Paca Title: Speed Read, May 21, 2023 Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/motorcycle-news-may-21-2023 Published Date: Sun, 21 May 2023 16:34:50 +0000