FCA Heritage in Grand Basel with Giò Ponti's Car Project

From 6 to 9 September, a new international exhibition combining #automotive design and contemporary art will be taking place in Switzerland. All eyes will be on an invaluable 1950 Alfa Romeo 1900, normally kept in the Museum in Arese, on display alongside a three-dimensional model of a car designed by Giò Ponti in 1953

FCA #heritage will be at the first edition of the new #grandbasel international exhibition, which will present cars in art, design, architecture and lifestyle contexts. It will be a global motor show displaying prestigious collectibles from the past and present - and so perfectly in keeping with the spirit of #fcaheritage, the organisation responsible for fostering and promoting the history of the company - for collectors and simple fans of the Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lancia and Abarth cars and their glorious past. #fcaheritage will be taking an Alfa Romeo 1900 picked from the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, known as "The Time Machine".

The car will be on display alongside a three-dimensional 1:1 scale model of the car designed by Giò Ponti in 1953 that has never been seen before. The famous Italian architect created a futuristic car, inspired by the "Diamond Line" style concept interpreted by Ponti in product design and architecture, the most famous example of which is the Pirelli skyscraper in Milan. The car was imagined but never came into fruition. Ponti based the project on the measurements of the Alfa Romeo 1900 sedan. The original drawings were transposed into a three-dimensional model by Head of #fcaheritage Roberto Giolito.

Alfa Romeo 1900 (1950)

The sports saloon concept originated back in 1950 with the 1900. Alfa Romeo's first car built entirely on a production line, it was also the first to be designed according to industrial criteria, including the monocoque, and the first with a four-cylinder engine developed for mass production.
The most significant features of the 1900 are its dynamic capabilities. Speed, road holding, handling and active safety made it the first high-performance three-box saloon, features that had previously been reserved for true sports cars (in the bodywork configuration) and higher segment models. Real sports performance in a family car was an innovative idea at that time, in a market that was heading towards major expansion. The 1900 collected numerous racing victories, including a coveted first place in its category at the Mexican Carrera Panamericana in 1954, hence the famous "The family car that wins races" advertising tag line. In the mid-1950s it became the first "Panther" Flying Squad car of the Italian State Police, which was modernising its fleet with the addition of high-performance vehicles to lead the fight against crime. Interestingly, from then on, all Alfa Romeo models would be used as police cars.