top of page
insights
THE LENS OF THE PROTAGONISTS
Design Professor
Massimo Grandi
When the shape reaches a form of “mathematical beauty", it creates something that is far from self-referential, super-structural or superfluous.
,,
Jankovits Aerospider: The “Croatian” Alfa Romeo
At the heart of this story lies a car: the Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Aerodinamica Spider, also known as the extraordinary Jankovits Aerospider.
Spontaneity, Confidence, and Mastery: The Imprint of Giovanni Michelotti
Giovanni Michelotti, my father, was one of the most influential designers in the world of automotive design.
The Bull and The Sea
Ing. Marmiroli this time introduces us to a unique chapter of Lamborghini's history: the brand's adventures not on land, but at sea.
From Concept to Creation: The Birth of Carrozzeria Michelotti and its Iconic Prototypes
In 1949, Giovanni Michelotti embarked on his freelance career, marking the beginning of a successful journey in automotive design. With...
Giovanni Michelotti’s seagull, how the Lancia Beta 1800 “Mizar” was born
It is still the only four-door car with gull-wing doors today, and one of the most representative Michelotti's prototypes
Giuseppe Furmanik’s Maserati Siluro 4CM Carenato
Massimo Grandi brings us into the fascinating history of Giuseppe Furmanik’s Maserati Siluro 4CM Carenato.
Alfa Romeo P33 Roadster: The Lost Prototype
Designer Paolo Martin shares the story of his P33 Roadster concept. The P33 Roadster was created shortly after the famous Ferrari Dino...
Tribute to Marcello Gandini
Our colleague the engineer Luigi Marmiroli has devoted a simple but fond tribute to the Master designer Marcello Gandini. Words Luigi...
Alfa Romeo B.A.T.: the Story of the “Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica”
Prof. Grandi looks back over the style genesis of the three prototypes that Franco Scaglione made for Bertone on the 1900C chassis. The...
When I Met Giorgetto Giugiaro
This time, Luigi Marmiroli’s memoirs look back on the times when Lamborghini’s path met that of the “Designer of the Century”, leading to...
Horacio Pagani: from Bicycle to Hypercar
This is quite the fairy tale, the story of an Argentinian businessman who came to Italy to make his dream come true. Luigi Marmiroli...
The great feat of Hanomag-Diesel-Stromlinien-Sportwagen
With Audi dominating endurance races, diesel has earned the respect of motorsport only in recent times. But there is a story that dates...
Diablo SE30: in the middle of the history of Lamborghini Automobili
In the year in which the Bull blew out its first sixty candles, the engineer Marmiroli remembers the genesis and “behind the scenes” of...
“PM1” and “1300”: the Bugattis that never saw the light
Directly from the memories of Paolo Martin, the story of two Bugattis that never saw the light. SpeedHolics readers can judge the quality...
From the Earth to the Sky: Challenges beyond the Limit
As the Italian Air Force celebrates its hundredth anniversary, we would like to tell you about the time Gilles Villeneuve, Nelson Piquet,...
Giotto Bizzarrini’s “Macchinetta”
Based on the Topolino, the early work of the great Tuscan designer anticipated many of the cornerstones of his vision, starting from the...
Eighty years, what a feat!
Ready to celebrate a big birthday (he was born on 11 March 1943), the "cowboy driver" accompanies SpeedHolics readers on an extraordinary...
Tribute to Carlo Chiti and his Autodelta
In the year of the sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of Alfa Romeo’s glorious “racing department”, Luigi Marmiroli remembers to...
The Soviet Revolution
After the historical agreement signed with the Ford Motor Company, it didn’t take long for the streets of the ex- Soviet Union to fill...
Pininfarina Sigma Grand Prix: the Safe and Stylish Formula 1
With single-seaters, the style of the car is designed entirely to suit its function. So can we talk of design for Formula 1 cars? Paolo...
Ferruccio Lamborghini dines with Enzo Ferrari
Everyone knows: the cars in Sant’Agata Bolognese would never have been born without the now-famous dispute between Ferruccio Lamborghini...
Lamborghini & Gandini Trilogy
Gandini and Lamborghini are two inseparable entities, and together they have developed authentic style legends, including the Miura, the...
Intermeccanica and the Epilogue of the Work of Franco Scaglione
The history of Intermeccanica is that of the last five years of Scaglione’s work. Professor Grandi takes a look back over the events and...
How the Ferrari Modulo Was Born
Designer Paolo Martin talks about one of the most extraordinary and innovative dream cars of all time, unveiled to the public at the 1970...
Modena, Capital of Motor Valley: the “Speedholics” Place of the Soul
Emilia Romagna is an ancient land of motors. Engineer Luigi Marmiroli traces back the historical and cultural reasons underlying the...
Fiat 1100 Coupé Meteor: A Small Design Gem
Talking about the industrial situation after the Second World War, Prof. Grandi investigates the small workshops which, starting from...
Lamborghini and Gigliato: a Great but All-Too-Short Story
At the end of his career at Lamborghini, Luigi Marmiroli was invited to take part in a supercar project being launched in Japan. It could...
2002 Brera Concept Car, As Seen From Inside Of Centro Stile Alfa Romeo
Early years 2000 was a busy period at Alfa Romeo's Centro Stile, its in-house design department. Not so much for the work load which was...
"The Shape of the Wind" according to Franco Scaglione
Experimentation is the distinguishing feature of the visionary Tuscan designer’s career. Among all his works, two particular projects...
… Saved by the Moon!
The Lamborghini men had some amazing adventures during the first, top-secret tests on the Diablo prototype. Years later, Luigi Marmiroli...
“C’était un rendez-vous”: Claude Lelouch's crazy race
At dawn on an August day, forty-six years ago – 1976 – the French film director Claude Lelouch (author of “A Man and a Woman”) grappled...
Best Wishes to All the "Speedholics"
In the year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the legendary Countach, I would like to send the traditional Happy New Year wishes to the...
The Lotus “Four Doors”, Colin Chapman’s Broken Dream
In the early Eighties, the sports sedan world was dominated by Maserati, and seen with significant interest by Ferrari. But in those...
When I Met Clay Regazzoni
When I heard that the Clay Regazzoni Memorial Room was being moved from Lugano to Romanshorn, my mind automatically opened the drawer of...
The "Speedholics man" and the ecological transition
The passage from fossil fuel to electric for all cars of the future - including supercars and hypercars - is a given fact. Thinking back...
Against all odds, the Alfa Romeo new Spider “Duetto” project 938
Duetto is a magic word for Alfisti. It was chosen via an international contest to find a name for a very important car, the successor of...
From the Countach to the Diablo: Courage and Emotions
On the 50th anniversary of the Countach, engineer Luigi Marmiroli remembers when he was called in to design the heir to the "Icon". In...
How I Became a Driver - Pt. 2
1964 began with a heavy blow: in the first race in Monza I was behind the fierce new Simca Abarths by almost a lap. My Giulietta SZ had...
Diva, a White Sheet of Paper Alfa Romeo Sports Car
It happens very rarely if ever, that a designer gets a chance to freely express himself. Free from the Marketing people with their...
When I Met Ferruccio Lamborghini
Called to manage the design of the Lamborghini, I felt the need to meet Ferruccio. That was the only way I could absorb that authentic...
How I Became a Driver - Pt. 1
I never thought I would be a driver. I loved speed and mechanics, but I never imagined that I would have a career in racing. My family...
Speed Through Design
There are many ways in which speed can be considered in automotive design. The first and the most obvious one that comes to mind...
When I met Enzo Ferrari
Today marks the start of a series of articles telling of the many famous names of the car world that I have had the honour and pleasure ...
Paolo Martin: My First Car, Fifty Years On
The first lockdown forced him to stay at home, in his villa in the hills of Turin. But Paolo Martin, the creator of some of the most...
Lartigue: The Photographer Obsessed with Speed
Stop the moment, capture the movement, freeze and yet illustrate the speed. If you think about it, photography is a great paradox.
Yes, I am a Speedholic!
Hi there, fellow SpeedHolics. Speed is my stimulus, my challenge, my way to get outside of and away from the box. For me, speed is...
Supercars, Gastronomy & The Death of Individuality
If it were in the English dictionary, the term "speedholic" would be defined as a person with a very strong passion for, nay - an...
Speed and Cars
Speed and cars have always been strictly connected for me. When we were small kids, the first and most important parameter with which we...
bottom of page