Review by Pete Vack
All photos from the book
Franco Scaglione unfortunately didn’t live to see the widespread appreciation of his work; some 60 cars, which include some of the greatest automotive designs ever hammered into metal.
This should not have been, for his role in the design and development of the Alfa Giulietta Sprint and the B.A.T.s had been examined by a variety of magazines, the most notable being a full article in Quattroruote “The Right Carrozzeria” as far a back as 1961. But from the early 1970s on, after Scaglione’s sad experience with Intermeccanica, he retired and virtually disappeared from view or almost 20 years. Notes Paolo Gianconi, “His world had forgotten him, because when the spotlight of fame goes out, no one has the interest to light a candle to look for who is lost.”
Then, in the early 1990s, Maurizio Tabucchi found him. The journalist (and author of many books on Alfa and Maserati) was covering a car show in the town of Suvereto, some 500 kilometers from Scaglione’s Turin. Tabucchi took an interest in the Giulietta Sprint that had attended the meet, and a local approach him, saying “If there is something you want to know about this car, you can ask that gentleman over there who is looking out the window!”
Tabucchi followed through, despite published reports that Scaglione had died in 1980. He met Scaglione, still alive but in frail health, who had moved to Suvereto in 1981, and Tabucchi completed an interview which was published in AutoCapital in June 1993. And just in time, for Franco Scaglione died on June 19, 1993 at the age of 77.
Right after the war Scaglione began designing dresses, but soon was given the opportunity to design cars. He quickly became a sensation.
A number of factors then came into play which prompted a fresh look at the designer’s life and work. In addition to being the subject of conferences, books and events, by 2015, there were parks and gardens and streets named after Franco Scaglione. He would have been proud, even if not too happy about the ensuing publicity.
Corrado Lopresto’s 2016 exhibition which featured the cars of Scaglione including this early 750 series Alfa Sprint coupe. Note the differences with the later bodies.
All this and much more are included in this latest tribute to Franco Scaglione by Paolo Giaconi. Born in 1966, the author lives and works in Piombino in Tuscany as a photographer and freelance journalist. His book Fra Sca Il Poeta dell’ Aerodinamica (Scaglione often signed his early artistic efforts as ‘FraSca’) is a compendium of Scaglione’s life story as related by his daughter Giovanna (and in much more detail than our ten-part series, Il Mio Babbo), articles from Quattroruote, several technical articles published by Scaglione in reference to aerodynamics, seating, and design. “I have collected some of the most significant technical ones that Franco Scaglione has written and published in the Italian magazines of the sector, those concepts and techniques that he applied to the construction of his cars. Not only bodywork, but also constructive and ergonomic techniques that were then applied to other cars that have come down to the present day,” says Giacona.
In Suvereto, an Alfa Sprint Speciale poses under the street name for Scaglione.
Giaconi takes it several steps further, explaining the development and disposition of almost all of the Scaglione designed cars, including the one-off Lamborghini 350GT, the Titania Veltro, a 1966 showcar, the NSU Prinz, the LMX and several other cars not generally known as Scaglione efforts.
In 1965 came this attractive GT named the Titania Veltro which used Ford running gear.
The author then looks at a number of recent projects, such as the Fiat 1400 Balbo that was completed in 2016 by collector Corrado Lopresto. It was originally thought to be a Giovanni Michelotti design but later confirmed to be by Scaglione. Another was the 1953 Lancia Aurelia B53 with a similar body style but with a rear treatment that is typically Scaglione. And of course, much attention is paid to what is probably Scaglione’s signature classic, the Alfa T33 Stradale.
If one was not sure of the parentage of this Lancia, a quick look at the rear would have provided the answer.
Finally, Giaconi details out over ten events that paid tribute in some way to the memory of Franco Scaglione. Giovanna Scaglione and B.A.T. 11 creator Gary Kaberle (whose car gets a generous mention in the book) were on hand on many occasions at these events. This is a pleasant surprise, as even most of our readers are probably not aware that streets, venues, and parks are named after one of their favorite car designers.
The book lists the cars designed by Scaglione, and we reproduce it below; if any one of the cars below are of interest to you, you need this book. FraSca is not perfect, in Italian only, but a must for anyone interested in Italian coachbuilding. At only 28 Euro, despite shipping costs, the book is a very good deal.
A Lamborghini only seen in the factory museum, the only one designed by Scaglione.
The real creator must be able to imagine where that type of car will arrive in 40 or 50 years. This is why my cars are not crazy, but the answer to a question: taking this road where will it end? I’ve never created a line with a why: in a certain sense it was born by itself, I kept drawing until the right one came out. – Franco Scaglione
1951 Lancia Aurelia B53 coupé 5 posti (Carrozzeria Balbo)
1952 Fiat 1400(Carrozzeria Balbo), Fiat 1100 “Utiletta Frasca” (Carrozzeria Ansaloni), Abarth 1500 berlinetta Bertone, Fiat-Siata 208 CS spider competizione Bertone, Fiat-Siata 208 CS coupé 2+2 Bertone
1953 Fiat-Stanguellini 1100 /103 TV berlinetta Bertone, Fiat 1100 /103 TV Savio Sport Berlinetta, Alfa Romeo Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica B.A.T. 5 Bertone, Alfa Romeo 1900L berlina 2 porte Bertone, Arnolt-Aston Martin DB 2/4 roadster competizione Bertone (2 esemplari), Arnolt-Aston Martin DB 2/4 spider Bertone, Ferrari-Abarth 166 MM/53 spider competizione Bertone, Arnolt-Bristol 404 X roadster competizione Bertone
1954 Arnolt-Bristol 404 X spider and coupe gran turismo Bertone, Fiat-Siata 208 CS coupé, Alfa Romeo “2000 Sportiva” berlinetta and spider competizione (prototipo) Bertone, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint berlinetta Bertone, Alfa Romeo Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica B.A.T. 7 Bertone, Fiat-Stanguellini 1100 /103 TV “Cheetah” spider Bertone, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Spider prototipo 002 and 004 Bertone, Alfa Romeo 1900 cabriolet “Perla” Bertone, Alfa Romeo Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica B.A.T. 9 Bertone
1956 Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Bertone, Fiat Abarth coupé 215 A Bertone, Fiat Abarth spider 216 A Bertone, Arnolt-Aston Martin DB2/4 cabriolet Bertone
1957 Fiat-Stanguellini 1200 spider “America” Bertone, Aston Martin DB2/4 coupé Bertone, Jaguar XK150 coupé Bertone, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale berlinetta Bertone
1958 Alfa Romeo-Abarth 1000 berlinetta competizione Bertone, NSU Prinz Sport coupé (i primi 1700 circa costruiti dalla Bertone) su concetto Scaglione, NSU Prinz Sport spider Wankel (prototipo 1960, produzione dal 1963)
1959 Maserati 3500 GT coupé Bertone, Fiat-Osca 1500 berlinetta Bertone, Fiat 1200 “Granluce” berlinetta Bertone, Alfa Romeo 2000 “Sole” Bertone, NSU Prinz 4 berlina prototipo
1960 Porsche-Abarth Carrera GTL berlinetta, Carrozzeria Rocco Motto
1961 Redesign per Intermeccanica “Apollo” berlinetta 2+2, Maserati Birdcage tipo 64 Scuderia SSS Repubblica di Venezia
1963 Prince Motors “Skyline 1900 Sprint” Berlinetta, Apollo GT, Apollo cabriolet, Lamborghini 350 GTV coupé prototipo, Stanguellini-Guzzi “Colibrì” da record, ATS 2500 GT berlinetta Allemano
1964 Intermeccanica “Griffith” coupé e cabriolet
1965 Intermeccanica Apollo GT coupè 2+2 fastback prototipo
1966 Titania “Veltro GTT”
1967 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale carrozzeria Marazzi, Intermeccanica “Torino” cabriolet e coupé
1968 LMX Sirex Intermeccanica Italia cabriolet e coupé
1969 Intermeccanica “Murena 429 GT” Station Wagon, Intermeccanica “Italia IMX” competizione prototipo
1971 Intermeccanica “Indra” cabriolet e coupé
1972 Intermeccanica “Indra” coupé 2+2 fastback
Fra Sca, Il Poeta dell’ Aerodinamica
By Paolo Gianconi
Pages 198 Softcover
ISBN / EAN 9788869957666
Publisher Pacini Editore
Languages Italian
Publication date 12/2020
Dimensions 21 x 28 x 2 cm
28 Euros
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The photo of the “Lamborghini 350GTV” which appears in the book, and which you have reproduced here, doesn’t really do justice to the real thing. This is merely a very poor pastiche of the actual car, for display in a museum, but it looks like it has been built out of plywood. The real car still exists, has been restored beautifully and does appear at events from time to time, even being on display in the Lamborghini factory museum for a while. It’s a pity the authors didn’t source pictures of the actual car, but instead chose to illustrate this rather unfortunate “likeness”, which does nothing to enhance Scaglione’s reputation.
Although purchasing from Italy will cost over $ 82 due to the high postage fee, by combining orders I can furnish at just $ 65 postpaid for our domestic friends.
Order soon to avoid disappointment ! don@bugattibooks.com 941-727-8667
Actually, the shipping cost direct from the publisher (Pacini Editore at http://www.pacinieditore.it) to the USA is pretty reasonable at EUR 16. My all inclusive cost to the USA came out to be $51.
I always get a kick out of seeing echos of earlier designs show up in later cars, often years later. The midsection (passenger compartment and roof) of the Titania Veltro looks like a blueprint for the Series 3 Mazda RX-7 from the 1990s.
I agree with Mr.Graham Earl, as we know the Lamborghini 350GTV that is in the Lamborghini Historical Museum is not a real model, it is in fact a very bad reproduction that shows the true beauty of the car designed by Scaglione. In fact, the book explains this, and also shows the state in which the “real” 350 GTV was abandoned outside the factory, before being bought by a collector to be finally restored.
Many thanks for the tip Marc ! That source allows me to furnish at $ 48 postpaid !
Thanks for the story on Franco Scaglione. My book arrived today and have spent two hours reading slowly since my Italian is quite rudementy. Discovered cars that I loved, that I did not know he had designed. Worth the price and shipping. Bravo Fra Sca.
It is possible to buy the book at http://www.libroco.it which is certainly able to reduce costs.