Special Projects

The Special Projects Division designs, engineers and constructs unique “customer-tailored” models.

A flair for “custom-built” vehicles has always been firmly embedded in Pininfarina’s DNA. It was this exceptional ability to bring the customer’s dreams to life with unique or small-series vehicles that triggered the fast-spreading fame of Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in its early years of business. In time, as Pininfarina gradually forged major cooperation agreements with leading car-makers world- wide, its success overstepped the bounds of its artisan tradition to take on a more industrial dimension, without however losing any of its exceptional ability to construct unique cars for individual customers.
More or less constantly throughout its long history, Pininfarina has continued to develop various special projects, building what have become legendary cars. Today, more than ever, with the setting up of the Special Projects Division, Pininfarina aims to cater to the requests of its most demanding customers, who become the real leading players in the project with the possibility of
participating in all phases of construction of their custom-built cars: from design to engineering, selection of the materials up to and including final assembly. To put it in a nutshell, a real return to the made-to- measure car.

We talked this over with Andrea Pininfarina, Pininfarina Group Chairman and CEO.

A world preview at Villa d’Este, another at Pebble Beach. A return to custom-built vehicles for Pininfarina?
I would say so. We have produced two unique vehicles for two leading collectors, creating
a real symbiosis between Pininfarina and the customer in order to bring to life something that, just a few months earlier, was just a dream. These custom-built cars denote and reinforce our ability to offer selected customers a unique possibility: tailor-made design, engineering and construction of their car.

Why now, in particular?
On the one hand, our participation at International Motor Shows and at major Concours d’Elégance and, on the other, our show cars and prototypes have stimulated noteworthy interest
in this type of vehicle. With our acknowledged ability to develop projects of  this type and long tradition in the world of the car – with a history dating back 76 years -, we considered it interesting, as regards image, experience and business, to exploit this opportunity in a structured manner, making our know-how available to our potential customers.

How are these new projects managed inside Pininfarina?
We have set up a Special Projects Division that coordinates these programs drawing on the various types of expertise that have always distinguished the company. It was simply a question of organizing all the various aspects while maintaining the characteristics of elegance, innovation and experience that have always been the main hallmarks of Pininfarina’s business.

How are industrial and artisan activities combined inside the company?
Pininfarina has been a strong stakeholder on the automotive scene for many years, as confirmed by the five new productions launched between the end of 2005 and 2006: it is sufficient to remember that last year and during the year in course, we have initiated the production of five new cars: Alfa Spider, Mitsubishi Colt CZC and Ford Focus CC, for which we also followed up design and development, and Alfa Brera and Volvo C70, which we also engineered. We are able to construct unique products that consolidate our unequalled tradition, marked by excellence and unmatched creativity, and which are also aligned with the top level positioning of our brand.

Presentation of a special version of the Scaglietti constructed by Pininfarina for an American customer.

The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti “K” constructed by Pininfarina for the American collector Peter S. Kalikow, President of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York, made its debut at the Concours d’Elégance at Villa d’Este in April.

“The customer – explains Paolo Garella, head of the Special Projects Division responsible for the project – asked us to design, engineer and construct a version of the 612 Scaglietti able to accentuate the lines of the vehicle, developing these according to a styling process able to highlight its elegance and exclusive nature.” Kalikow’s initial briefing was very simple: a new body with such subtle differences from the original as to be recognizable at first glance by only 10% of Ferrari connoisseurs.

The customer visited Cambiano several times to follow up development of the styling, selecting product contents and participating in choosing the materials and colours.
“This project – declares Andrea Pininfarina – stresses and reinforces our decision to offer selected customers a unique opportunity: customised design, engineering and construction of their car.
The style, quality, characteristics and extremely limited number of these projects make them “cult” objects, a source of unrepeatable emotions for their owners”.
At Villa d’Este, Pininfarina was also showcasing the Maserati Birdcage 75th, while the Chevrolet Corvette Rondine was on show for a day at Villa Erba.