Photos courtesy of GM Media Archive
American auto manufacturers have contracted foreign automotive body builders many times to construct limited-production and concept cars over the decades. Among them was Pininfarina of Turin, Italy. The company, with the formal name of Carozzeria Pininfarina, was founded in 1930 by Battista “Pinin” Farina (who later had his name legally changed to Pininfarina). It was established for the purpose of building special car bodies and detailing of limited-production automobiles. His goal was to become an independent industry and over time he put together a production line capable of producing seven or eight cars per day. Among the first cars he produced was the now coveted Hispano Suiza and later the Fiat 518 Ardita. He introduced aerodynamics to automotive body design in the 1930s and created the sleek Alfa Romeo 6C and Lancia Aprillia Aerodinamica. In 1947, he unveiled the influential Cisitalia 202 which became the first car to be permanently displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, NY.
Prior to World War II, Pininfarina had established contacts with foreign car companies such as General Motors, but soon the war interrupted anything further. However, not long after the war ended U.S. auto manufacturers once again contacted Pininfarina regarding the construction of various automobiles for them. Among the cars he was contracted to build was the Nash Healey built between 1951 and 1954.
As the 1950s were coming to a close, General Motors embarked upon designing an unusual Buick two-passenger car based upon the styling of what became the 1959 Buick. Labeled initially as XP-75, the two cars which were ultimately built for GM by Pininfarina were formally named, “Skylark III.”
Read more.
