Before the 1963 Paris Auto Show, Pininfarina decided they wanted to stretch their pencils on an American platform. GM provided them with a brand new '63 Corvette and ...<P><P>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
This is actually a pretty stunning machine when you see it in person. Also looks to be the predessesor to the Fiat 124 Spyder. I saw it last year at the Concors d'Villa D'Este, in Como, Italy (Of course all things Pininfarina are hallowed there). It really holds its own with many other prototype cars.
this is one of those cars that looks like it came straight off the designers page.. not sure if that's good or not.. I think it's pretty slick but I like the vette better
Very cool. The wheels look like something I have seen on modern day imports. It does have a very European desigin to it. I bet it's pretty cool to here the sound of a V8 coming out of a car that looks like that. It's like a seeing an American athelete in a French School Boy uniform.
It looks great but its definately very italian. I struggle to see the vette in there. It is a good showcase of the different taste between the two continents. Sleek lines and very proper while the Vette was all about in your face look at me but mostly from the back as I smoke your *** driving away. It also prove the point that the Vette in its own right was better. We see the vette went on to be great and is loved today by tons of enthusiast but that one off will always just be a styling exercise and nothing more........
I love it. Awesome lines.. The wheels, everything... What was it made out of? Fibergl***? Aluminum? Steel maybe? Edit. I made another post about Italian Concept Cars. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=214387
What's not to like? It's beautiful. (and so was the stock Vette) The lines on this flow and there is continuity with the form (unlike many later Barris kustoms) It's a bit delicate, but that's typical of Italian styling of that era. The interior is just about perfect. The wheels actually are the weak link for me.
It looks like typical Pininfarina style, which is awesome. Of course, for the era, the wheels and tires are perfect too. I'm sure those eye-talyun fellers did not obsess about the rolling stock, but imagine this with some pin drive mag wheels, oh boy.....
I like it. I don't know if I like enough to have had 500,000 of them made, but this one is pretty slick.
It is. Both cars were designed by Tom Tjaarda. When Chevy balked on the Corvette (huge screwup if you ask me) he found a ready taker at Fiat. The Ferrari 275 also shares this rear end as well. Here's a photo of the Fiat (this ones a 72) and a website to check out http://www.tom-tjaarda.net/cars.htm
The view from the rear with that big back gl*** kinda reminds me of a mid sixties Cuda but I defintely see the 124 in her.
I'm really surprised at the bashing of this car here; I think it's a good looking car. As for the "eye-talian guys" comments -- Tom is an American, trained in architecture, who's been working in Italy since 1959 or so. His father, John Tjaarda, designed the prototype that the Lincoln Zephyr was built from. Check out fiat128's link; it's quite interesting. Tom's best-known design is probably the Pantera, although I think his Corvair and Mercedes 230SL were some of his best designs.
A local shop here restored a 60's italian job that although I have no background knowledge of I was shocked to see it had a 327 vette motor and a muncie for a driveline. Cool car and I don't remember the name for sure but it was an italian F word Fina, Farina, something like that. Sure didn't look like anything out of the 60's that I grew up with.
I like it myself; very futuristic for 1963. Sort of reminds me of one of the "BAT" cars. But the stock interior just doesn't match the exterior, and yes, the wheel covers ****. But all in all, I can appreciate this exercise in automotive design, I just wish they has done the interior as well. Patrick McLoad
Hey 50Fraud, I too an suprised at the ***** flingin' of this design by all the experts in line and form! If ya look at much of Bill Mitchell's design work from the sixties ya see major Italian lineage: '63-'67 Buick Riveria, Corvette, both in- spired by his trips to Italian motor shows and carrozzeria. I met Mr. Tjaarda a couple years ago, at a show here in town, and talk about an honest,humble and forthright guy, words I ain't heard anyone speak when talkin' about Bill Mitchell! S****ey Devils C.C.
I would be very surprised if those weren't a specially cast set of knock off mags, made just for this car... Werent there knock off mags you could get for the regular Vette in '63?
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