Story by Gijsbert Paul-Berk
From the VeloceToday Archives, March, 2015
Once a thriving industry in France, by the mid-1950s, French coachbuilders such as Saoutchik, Figoni et Falaschi and Marcel Pourtout had all but disappeared. Yet in Italy, coachbuilders such as Bertone, Pinin Farina and Touring were succeeding beyond their wildest dreams, becoming known the world over as leaders in automotive design. Why was this so? What factors encouraged the coachbuilding industry in Italy, while virtually destroying it in nearby France? Gijsbert Paul Berk reports.