My Car Quest

March 29, 2024

Pininfarina’s Battista- Going Full Electric Before Ferrari

by Wallace Wyss - I respect Ferrari was stunned after they relegated Carrozzeri Pininfarina from their major design house and coachbuilder to a bidder against other firms. They shoulda figured Pininfarina would eventually figure out how to … [Read more...]

The Alfa Romeo Canguro From a Mouse House to a Classic

by Wallace Wyss - If they ever have a theme of Giorgetto Giugiaro's best designs at Pebble Beach or Amelia Island, I'd nominate the Alfa Romeo Canguro (kangaroos). It was built on the tube chassis of the lightweight Alfa Romeo TZ. Now Alfa has … [Read more...]

Design History: 2004 Chevrolet Nomad Concept

by Wallace Wyss - Oh I remember the original Nomad--the '55,'56 and '57--but somehow this attempt to bring it back eluded me. Actually the '54 Nomad concept had a Corvette front end, but the production car was regular Chevy, using only the show … [Read more...]

Concept Car Finally Reaches Road: Ferrari Pininfarina Modulo 512S

by Wallace Wyss - A lot of time you look at a concept car and if it's real daring in design--i.e. it looks like it wouldn't meet any regulations of lighting, windshield rake, safety, etc, you think "well, a nice idea but it will never reach … [Read more...]

Another Lost Prototype: 1975 Opel GT-W Génève

by Wallace Wyss - I am going out on a limb here and saying if the 1975 Opel GT-W Génève did not have an engine and transmission it was just a rolling mockup, one step up from a clay model, so not a real prototype engineering wise. There's a … [Read more...]

The Cadillac Allante: Almost a Home Run and Dirt Cheap Now

by Wallace Wyss - General Motors trusts its designers. But there are those rare moments when higher management says "Why don't we try someone else with this new design?" When that happens there is a lot of resentment back at the GM Design Center … [Read more...]