Italian Cars

This volume traces more than 150 years of Italian automotive history from the Maserati 3500GT, the Lamborghini Countach, and the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale all the way up to the electrified supercars and new hypercars of our future, like the Pagani Utopia, Pininfarina Battista, and Estrema Fulminea. The automobile is one of the symbols of Made in Italy around the world. Its success is the result of the genius and creativity of a select group of Italians, and a culture and history that has allowed the country to set the standard for good taste through great intuition and revolutionary creations. It is true that the automobile was born in Germany, but it was in Italy that the first internal combustion engine was invented, in 1853, thanks to Eugenio Barsanti and Felice Matteucci. This book tells the story of the Italian automobile through ever-changing conditions. The chapters follow a chronological format that reviews social, economic, and political factors, both in Italy and internationally, as well as the various eras of the Italian car and its development based on design generations and mechanical innovation.