While other Italian design houses have traditionally strived for beauty, Zagato’s design CV reads like a roller-coaster; the high points are generally agreed to be the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, the Alfa Romeo TZ and, here at Classic Driver at least, the Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato. The low points? We’ll let you decide on that.
The elegant open two-seater represents the first time Mini’s parent company has collaborated with the Milanese design house since the famous BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé of 1940.
Hopes were high in the lead-up to the unveiling of the Cord 810 (later the 812); its predecessor, the L-29, had become America’s first front-wheel-drive car. This had led to the marque becoming famous for marrying innovative features to beautiful coachwork – and the 810 would only strengthen this reputation. Penned by the celebrated designer Gordon Buehrig, it was one of eight cars chosen for the Museum of Modern Art’s ‘Eight Automobiles’ exhibition in 1951.
It was held just two months before Black Tuesday and the Wall Street Crash, when such extravagant automotive icons as Isotta Fraschini (which scooped the top prize at the inaugural Concorso di Villa d’Este) become anachronisms, almost overnight. Yet, strangely, out of the darkest days of the Great Depression came some of the most gloriously indulgent automotive creations in history, and Villa d’Este played host to the best of the best.
‘Innovative Design, Visionary Ideas’ is the tagline, neatly summarising the concept behind the exhibition. Conceptual drawings, patents and scale models will be paired with the actual realised cars, which range from the early 1930s right through to the 21st Century. The idea is to show the development process behind each car, demonstrating how the designers pushed the technological envelope, not only to showcase their audacity, imagination and talent, but also to influence the future of car design.
