Pininfarina is once again present this year at the International Motor Show in Paris with a range of products that reinforces its position as a ‘tour de force’ in the automobile market. The collection is led out with the new Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina custom-built for James Glickenhaus – an American collector with a particular inclination for the legendary racing cars of the Sixties – and a car that played a leading role in Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August and which is making its European debut in Paris.

The vehicle was designed, developed and built solely by Pininfarina – transforming what had been, until a few months previously, a simple dream into reality. The route to the completion of this extraordinary model also witnessed a close relationship develop between the customer and Pininfarina. Taking the Ferrari Enzo as the point of departure, the aim was to create a vehicle that would be one-of-its-kind; inspired along the lines of a true sport racing car, not a simple show-car but a real car ready to take to the roads.

“Pininfarina has shown itself over a number of years now to be a real industrial strength to be reckoned with. This is well and truly backed up by the five new production lines set up between the end of 2005 and 2006: the Alfa Romeo Spider, Mitsubishi Colt CZC and Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet – where we also dealt with the design and development, and the Volvo C70 and Alfa Romeo Brera - where we were also in charge of the engineering. The Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina allows us to bring our creativity to the forefront, and propose to special customers the full extent of our know-how that reaches into customers’ dreams and desires, and far beyond the desire to simply build a vehicle of their own.” explained Andrea Pininfarina, Chairman and CEO Pininfarina S.p.A.

Andrea Pininfarina went on to add: “Indeed, the engineering involved in its construction is that normally associated with a production line vehicle: hence functionality and performance once thought of as being unthinkable in a one-off vehicle is here guaranteed. This is amply demonstrated in the tests we recently ran at our CERAM circuit in Paris.”

The new Ford Focus Coupè-Cabriolet is the latest example of the fruitful partnership between Ford and Pininfarina in the Cabriolet market (after the success debut with the ‘Streetka’ model).
 

The model was designed and developed in close cooperation with Pininfarina, and the latter is in charge of the entire production line at its plant in Bairo. This vehicle is a clear example of the direction being taken by Ford in terms of style and engineering. It is an automobile that is both elegant and exhilarating – and yet a pleasant drive day-in day-out, combining practicality, quality construction work and maximum comfort for all four passengers.

Last but not least, the new Alfa Romeo Spider was developed by Pininfarina in partnership with the Alfa Romeo Styling Centre and carried on the long tradition of Spiders designed for the legendary Italian automotive company. With its safety, power and unmistakeable fascinating charm, the Alfa Spider marks yet another step ahead in the field of open top vehicles – a market segment that has always seen Alfa Romeo play a leading role. Assembly of the Alfa Spider takes place entirely in the Pininfarina plant in San Giorgio Canavese, which has been completely restructured and updated with the most cutting-edge industrial automation available.

“It seems appropriate that here in Paris, I remind ourselves of our acquisition of Matra Automobile Engineering in 2003, which went on to increase turnover tenfold in just three years. Furthermore, we should not forget the strengthening of our position in Germany – as supplier of high added-value engineering services – through the acquisition of MPX Gmbh (with more than 100 staff in Munich, Bavaria). The inter-exchange of activities and experiences between our centres (Italian and French)” concluded Andrea Pininfarina, “will allow us to increase profitability throughout the entire engineering sector. And that is not all. Interaction with the design division and the two production centres will increase overall group efficiency and profitability.”