Italian coach builder Pininfarina is set for a big shake up that will see 127 workers made redundant when the company shuts down the manufacturing arm of its business. The iconic firm will now focus on what its more traditional strengths of design and engineering. The company points to the declining automotive market as the reason behind the move.
The redundancies and structure changes are expected to cost the company around €2.9 million. Pininfarina is also getting busy trying to find an investor to purchase a stake in the design firm as part of a debt restructuring agreement with the company’s creditors. French billionaire Vincent Ballore is one investor who has shown an early interest in purchasing part of the family-owned company. Read the rest of this entry »
Created by budding automotive designer Da Feng, the ‘Flake’ concept draws inspiration from some strange sources including the characters from the movie Cars and the ash from Feng’s cigarettes. Despite its bizarre influences, the Flake concept began three years ago at Coventry University and has now taken shape. Well, some sort of shape anyway.
Zagato’s TZ3 Stradale is an Alfa Romeo bodied sports car based on the platform and mechanical hardware of the hardcore, but out of production Dodge Viper ACR. Power comes from the top-spec Viper’s same 447kW 8.4-litre V10 engine mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox and a full race-spec suspension. The TZ3 Stradale uses an all new and all carbon fibre body with the most distinctive design feature being the classic Kamm-tail layout. While this coachbuilt Viper doesn’t actually use any mechanical pieces from Alfa Romeo, its design puts a decidedly contemporary spin on years of collaboration between Zagato and Alfa.
new C-pillar shape and side lines.