The Avvocato’s Cars
Ten years after Giovanni Agnelli’s death, the National Automobile Museum (MAUTO), named after him in March 2011, commemorates his memory with an exhibition entitled “Le Auto dell’Avvocato” (The Avvocato’s cars).
The exhibition is a display of car models aesthetically and functionally tailored to meet Agnelli’s tastes. A journey in the essence of 20th century Italian automobile design, to the birth of a new approach in the automotive world, characterised by the creation of tailor-made vehicles.
“Le Auto dell’Avvocato,” says Benedetto Camerana, Automobile Museum President, "is the first exhibition I have wanted for the Museum. It shares three features with other exhibitions we are organising: the theme is clearly Italian but of international interest; it has been organised with an important partner; the cars are the opportunity for broader considerations.”
The exhibition is split into three different areas, and each is enriched with graphic, photographic, audiovisual and multimedia material. In the first, the visitor will be able to track all the phases of Fiat’s epic history and their meeting with the most important historic moments of our country.
The second part, dedicated to Agnelli’s personal cars, exhibits precisely: a Lancia Thema S.W. Zagato, a Fiat Panda Rock Moretti, a Lancia K Limousine, a Fiat 130 Shooting Brake Maremma, a Fiat 130 Familiare, a Fiat Croma, a Ferrari 360 Speedway, a Lancia Delta Spider Integrale, a Fiat Multipla Spider and his favourite, the famous Fiat 125. All models feature personalised styling and mechanical interventions.
“Periodically, through his trusted driver, I would be invited to visit him with the purpose of discussing his ideas on this or that model,” explains Rodolfo Gaffino Rossi, Director of Mauto – “The starting point of the Avvocato’s vehicles were the production cars, the way they came out of the factory, then the engine, interiors and bodywork colour were changed to suit his tastes," adds Gaffino Rossi.
The third section takes a closer look at the theme of the Tailor Made aspect applied to the automotive industry: an area which represents the continuum between Agnelli’s experience and the activity carried out in the last ten years within the Fiat Group. This room exhibits several significant projects of vehicles which were personalised in association with Centro Stile Fiat (Fiat Style Centre) (in particular the Fiat Panda, Fiat 500 and Fiat 500 Large model) and the “Ferrari Tailor Made” project, realised by Centro Stile Ferrari (Ferrari Style Centre) in 2012.
“I am happy that this exhibition gives the public a chance to see a lesser-known aspect of Giovanni Agnelli’s personality, his creativity. My grandfather loved driving cars, especially those he had custom built in terms of style, colour, combinations of materials and engines. He was inspired by the concept of contamination and attracted to quickness,” says Lapo Elkann, President and Founder of Italia Independent and Independent Ideas.
The end of the exhibition is a tribute to the character of Giovanni Agnelli as a precursor of the authentic Made in Italy, in addition to Captain of Industry, and it is here that we celebrate his intuitions and vision, which live on within the company.
To remember Agnelli’s date of birth, the exhibition was inaugurated on 12th March and stays open to the public until 2nd June.
