Words and pictures: Richard Heseltine
The Lamborghini Miura’s half century was honoured at Turin’s Automotoretrò show from 12-14 February.
This, the 34th running of the event staged within the historic Lingotto Fierre Exhibition Centre, saw the original supercar celebrated in style, with every permutation of the Sant’Agata masterpiece on display thanks to the efforts of Lamborghini Club Italia. Not only that, all manner of luminaries including Lilli Bertone – whose late husband Nuccio’s styling house shaped the Miura – visited the stand over the three days to share their memories of the car.
Appropriately, the stand was flanked by two larger displays celebrating Stile Bertone concept cars which hitherto formed the factory collection. They included the Marcello Gandini-penned Autobianchi Runabout which prophesied the Fiat X1/9, the ’73 NSU Ro80-based Trapeze, the Chevrolet-engined Nivola from 1990 and the sublime ’96 Lancia Kayak.
The sheer number of exhibits served as a reminder of how the Grugliasco-based firm was once a design powerhouse, with the majority of the collection having been saved for the nation after the firm collapsed last year.
Of particular interest to fans of the obscure was the remarkable pre-war Rolls-Royce Phantom II that was re-bodied in the late ’60s for Argentinian heartthrob, Luis Sandrini. What it lacked in grace, it more than made up for in mass.
Attracting almost as much attention, but considerably smaller, was the Fiat 500C Giardinetta-based ‘special’ created in 1957 by Michele Fassana. Living up to the maxim ‘It ain’t done ’til it’s overdone’, this tiny device incorported just about every 1950s Detroit-inspired styling fad but on a tiny canvas. The car was displayed in as-found condion, complete with flat tyres and rust flakes on the floor.
The sales area and autojumble also provided a few surprises: there is no other show we can think of where you would be able to pick a Lancia Beta HPE styling model (itals) and (end itals) an unrestored Automirage Pick Wick...
