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Films:
1956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider: Spider Bite
Thank you for sharing your passion, I look forward to what the new year brings.
About that feminine/masculine design elements.
I really think the Italians master this better than anyone in the motor world.
I ride a Moto Guzzi Griso a brutally elegant design.
While it tilts to the masculine with it’s exposed engine, the curving of the pipes and body work masterfully counter that and give it a grace an elegance that most big V-twins lack.
I have the same combo in the garage – though as a 1962 Giulia Spider and a 1963 Giulia Sprint Speciale. Both in red, but not the same red.
We agree on the Pininfarina Spider design being a little feminin (mine is called Sophia), where the SS is much more masculine, even though it doesn’t have a straight line any where as well.
Where I live, we are looking forward to spring and summer, and som quality time in the classic cars. Winter is long and dark, and used for maintenance and polishing, so the cars are ready for the new season.
Greatings from Denmark
My best friend has the same amazing machine. So visceral and real. As you say, modern cars are a cocoon and miss the opportunity to fully interact. Like making love to a woman who’s isolated in a locked phone booth, very safe but not much of an experience. Light weight, sweldt, and small in size are also traits this car shares with a beautiful woman unlike modern bloated cars.
And of course, as you say the design. Gorgeous from every angle, yes more beautiful than angry. One of Pininfarina‘s masterpieces.
Hello Afshin
That is an interesting point about Pininfarina design being feminin. I always had another explanation for me Pininfarina designed Alfa’s (especially the 1950ies and 1960ies spiders) were more classical designs. When you compare it to Giugiaros Sprint GT this is something else. His 1960ies Sprint or 1970ies Alfetta express Modernism com in a very stylish way. To make it short: for me Pininfarina designed Alfa’s looked back to classical forms, while Giugiaro design always had the future in mind. Agree? Perhaps an exception to this “thesis” is the 1980ies Alfa 164. Although designed by Pirinfarina this was car looked very modern and progressive! (I remember well my father had three of them)…..
Merry Christmas to you and your family Afshin.
Great film as always. The comment about Pininfarina designs being more feminine than the other carrozzeria’s I found interesting. Having given it some thought I think Pininfarina has favoured a simple elegance over perhaps more aggressive shapes from say Bertone and Zagato over the years, but not necessarily that they are feminine. Many of their Ferrari Berlinetta designs such as the 250SWB (Sergio Pininfarina’s favourite design) mix elegance with brutalality like Sean Connery in a dinner jacket. Having said that Pininfarina’s output for Alfa has certainly produced some more feminine shapes than they did for other manufacturers so perhaps it is a case of them tailoring the look to the manfacturer?
Merry Christmas to you, too, Matt. Hope you and Danielle had a great time in Paris.
Good points about the various designs. Indeed, I had Pininfarina’s Alfa designs in mind when I made the comment. Especially when compared with their contemporary Bertone, Zagato, or Ghia designs, Pininfarina ‘s Alfa lines are the most feminine to me.
But you’re absolutely right about classic elegance. I think that’s a more accurate description that works equally well on their non-Alfa designs.
During a period of years—and you who know Alfas know when that was—Alfa’s creations were what I call the most Italian cars. They were simple, light and playful in form, exuberant in spirit. They were instantly approachable, endearing, innocently sexy and classically beautiful. And then there’s that name…just the sound of that name is enough to send you.
I have never owned one. But I know. And still I dream of “il futuro, con una maccchina come quello.”
Tanti Auguri!
