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Disco Volante?<\/p><\/div>\n

Earlier this month I paid a visit to the Bologna Motor Show. While not on the scale of Paris or Frankfurt, nor with the slew of product launches that Geneva gives us each year, Bologna’s automotive display is well worth the time and attention of the average petrol head…….like me for instance. OK not all the exhibits work, a Disco Ball Smart? Nightmare Fever indeed.<\/p>\n

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FFX FFS!<\/p><\/div>\n

Of course Northern Italy is FIAT\/Ferrari\/Alfa Romeo\/Maserati\/Lancia territory, so a whole hall was reserved for the fine automobiles from this venerable collection of Old Masters. As might be expected it was about the busiest hall of them all.<\/p>\n

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Style?<\/p><\/div>\n

Proudly displayed was God’s answer to those with too much money…….a $2 million car that you pay for but can only drive on special days that are approved by Ferrari, with others who have have passed the filthy lucre test. Oh, and not on public roads……wear the myth, live the dream indeed.<\/p>\n

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EVO<\/p><\/div>\n

Another piece of \u00a0glorious excess from Ferrari\u00a0was unveiled at Bologna in the shape of the 599XX EVO, lighter, more powerful and faster than the 599XX, a rocket that managed to beat the seven minute mark round the Nordschleife……………so plenty of oomph. This Ferrari has go as well as show.<\/p>\n

For those with 6.58 to spare you can see the lap on board HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

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458 Mate<\/p><\/div>\n

More conventional was this brace of 458 Italias celebrating GTE success in 2011.<\/p>\n

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Class<\/p><\/div>\n

Understatement and elegance were the qualities found at Maserati’s stand. Modena’s finest now producing some of most desirable cars available. Two or Four doors they are the automotive equivalent to the cut and style of Italian Tailoring. We could all look like George Clooney in one of these……errr maybe not.<\/p>\n

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Butch<\/p><\/div>\n

The FIAT 500 has been a great success, even if it is more than a tad cutsie for my taste. Fortunately help is on hand with Abarth’s take on the supermini. I could be seen in one of these.<\/p>\n

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4Ceable Future?<\/p><\/div>\n

Alfa Romeo’s stand was something of a disappointment, there being no sign of the gorgeous new 4C, so I had to make do with this instead. As can be seen the cars on display in the hall all had a “niece” as an optional extra, nice of the Italian car companies to help with the youth unemployment figures and the fostering of closer relations between the generations.<\/p>\n

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Dindo’s Delight<\/p><\/div>\n

Perhaps the next biggest presence at Bologna came from the VW Group, reinforcing their aim of being the Numero Uno in the motoring universe and soon. Like FIAT they too had a full complement of nieces to stop the enthusiastic public getting too close to the cars.<\/p>\n

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Hall of Fame<\/p><\/div>\n

The VW exhibition also had a hall to itself.<\/p>\n

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Topless<\/p><\/div>\n

And more nieces…….<\/p>\n

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Up Swing<\/p><\/div>\n

A new VW, well new to me at least, the up!, was in yet another location…………more budget….and more nieces………..nice car, terrible branding………….lower case and an exclamation mark……………gosh, the marketeers’ equivalent of photographers tilting the bloody camera and wearing silly hats. How cutting edge and kool!<\/p>\n

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‘Allo, ‘Allo<\/p><\/div>\n

One member of the VW extended family that was not much in evidence on the stands was Lamborghini; however being Italy of course the cops brought along a Gallardo…………<\/p>\n

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Show Me The way To Go Home<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the oddest stands was one promoting the Autostrada network……………why?<\/p>\n

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Outside of the Box<\/p><\/div>\n

More innovation at the Show from BlowCar……………..as the blurb went:<\/p>\n

BlowCar, which appears to be a direct competitor (to electric cars) chose the Bologna Motor Show to reveal the prototype of their vehicle announced with a concept car by Dario Di Camillo (former designer at Fiat and President of BlowCar) several years ago.<\/em><\/div>\n

The BlowCar will be available in light quadricycle (leggero) limited to 45kph or heavy quadricycle (pesante) speed up to 100kph, and with three engines, diesel (Lombardini 442cc), hybrid or electric.<\/em><\/div>\n

Four trim levels will be available in December 2012: BlowEva, BlowSugar, BlowEco, BlowJeans and finally BlowRoad a convertible version to be revealed later.<\/em><\/div>\n

The body of the BlowCar is made of inflated rubber panels, this technique provides a very light material, inexpensive, rigid with higher shock absorbing qualities than those we knew until then!<\/em><\/div>\n
With a weight of only 350kg Leggero, fuel economy is \u00a0announced from 2l\/100km for the hybrid and 3l for the classic version…<\/em><\/div>\n

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Shakes Head<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Obviously the commercial vehicle should be known as the Job, might be very popular. Well they laughed at Frankie Howerd…………<\/div>\n
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Sweets For My Sweet<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
More oddities, this time from Isuzu, a Haribo themed pick up………..a hit with the under-five segment…or something more sinister?<\/div>\n
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Purple Rain<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
And getting in touch with your inner FunkFather…………..dig the rims………..Man.<\/div>\n
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Bercow<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
And just in case you did not get down that day, we’ll play it again, this time with sign language…….as you will be deaf after this lot.<\/div>\n
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Door Stop<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
There was a concept car from Ford, someone got into the medicine chest methinks.<\/div>\n
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Follow My Leader<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
And a Mercedes Benz pace car leads Michael, how very 2011.<\/div>\n
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Yellow Peril<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
There was a hall for Luxury Cars. <\/em>Not sure about this lapse in taste from Bentley, normally a safe pair of hands.<\/div>\n\n
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The End Of The Road<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The Maybach may have looked imposing but was a commercial failure and will be quietly dropped in 2013. More motoring vanity from the Top.<\/div>\n
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What’ll She Do, Mister?<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
As old as motoring, kids posing with sportscars;\u00a0two lucky lads grip and grin with a Pagani………….dreams are made of such days.<\/div>\n
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il Tricolore<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Something that says more about me than the Bologna Show was that the cars I most wanted to see were virtually all in the Icon Hall. That is not to say that there was much wrong with the new stuff, but much of it is blandtastic…………..or maybe I am just old.<\/div>\n
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Junior<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Just to prove that the cars do not have to be Concepts or Supercars, one of my all time favourites, a Guilia GTA Junior, what ever was in the water in Arese (probably wine) made the whole operation really special duing the 60’s.<\/div>\n
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Lounge Lizard<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Blandtastic is not an expression that could ever be associated with the finest from Alfa Romeo T33 concept cars \u00a0such as the Iguana…find out more about this concept car HERE<\/a><\/div>\n
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Yeah, Yeah, Yeah<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Or the Carabo concept………….more about this concept HERE<\/a><\/div>\n
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T33<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Then there is the Pininfarina Coupes HERE<\/a>, although I have not done justice to the impact of the car in the awful lighting.<\/div>\n
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Freccia Rosso<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
More Magic from Alfa’s Museo Historico, a 158 Alfetta dating back to 1940….Wouter once again………HERE<\/a><\/div>\n
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Pininfarina<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
OK I have left my favourite till last, this Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Pininfarina Coupe is almost beyond words, \u00a0elegance and style do not come close to giving the full description of this automotive art.<\/div>\n
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Twin Light<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Once again the young Dutch Master is on the pace HERE<\/a> . I featured a sister car dating from 1942 and from Bertone on DDC a bit earlier during the year HERE<\/a> .<\/div>\n
So a successful show and to complete my look at Bologna 2011 I post a gallery of the official images below, plenty of action and plenty of nieces.<\/div>\n
John Brooks, December 2011<\/strong><\/div>\n
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