Paolo Martin: Visions in Design

Review by Pete Vack

“In my opinion, in recent times, Italian design has faded a little, and has been diluted by other influences, so much so that it is losing its identity, both as a school and as a reference. Many believe that Italian Design does not exist any longer.”

So writes one of the most influential, if not the most well-known Italian designer in the world, who bridged the gap between the artisan culture of the mid-twentieth century coachbuilders to the AI, battery powered showcars of the present day. Paolo Martin, born in 1944 near Turin, has seen it all, apprenticing at the studio of Giovanni Michelotti in 1961 before moving on to Bertone, then a fantastic stint with Pininfarina, and again moving on to De Tomaso before going freelance in 1976. Martin’s epic life in many ways parallels that of Ercole Spada, Tom Tjaarda, Georgetto Guigiaro and Marcel Gandini.

With the help of Gautam Sen, this is Martin’s story, but it is not an autobiography by any means. There is a lot left out that we are keen to know, and it is done by design. In the Introduction, the first line is “What you have just opened looks like a book, and that is what it is in a physical context. However, in reality, what it contains is different than the usual.” You’ll have to check Wiki to get a birthdate; there is little mention of a personal life or how Martin fared financially over the years, and unlike Sen’s biography of the late Tom Tjaarda, he provides few windows into the heart and soul of the companies he worked for. Tjaarda let us know on no uncertain terms what it was like to work with De Tomaso; Martin merely says that the “most difficult object was De Tomaso himself.” Interestingly, while at De Tomaso, Martin did a lot of detail design work on Moto Guzzi and Benelli motorcycles, as both were owned by De Tomaso at the time. We long to know more but this is as much as Martin would like to share at this time.

But the book is a dazzling , colorful informal catalog of Martin’s design work which is revealing and informative. Mariella Menghozzi, Director of the Museo Nazionale dell’ Automobile (MAUTO) writes in the Epilogue, “Paolo Martin’s works speak for themselves…there is no need to explain them.” That includes speedboats, bicycles, hair dryers, appliances, trucks and furniture.

His vision has no bounds; for him every object challenges his creativity. Everything can be improved. And he is at his best when creating something that is not just an improvement but totally new, like his two most famous works, the Ferrari Modulo and the Sigma F1. And since very few of his concept cars ever made it to production (the RR and Lancia Monte Carlo being notable exceptions) Martin’s talents were utilized by the industry to create cars that would illustrate suggested proposals, hit the show circuit and disappear.

So wait, what about that opening statement by Martin. Could it be true? That remains to be seen but there are too many things changing far too fast from electric vehicles to Artificial Intelligence. We are in awe of what the Italian designers have accomplished and what they gave us, and we now live to chronicle those efforts. More, please.

Book description

Our Price: $115.00
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*One of the world’s leading and highly influential automobile designers since the last half century
*First time a book that features all designs by Martin; including cars, two-wheelers, boats, industrial designs, and household products
*Features the design process and thinking behind cars like the Fiat 130 Coupe, the Peugeot 104, the Lancia Beta Montecarlo, and the Rolls-Royce Camargue
*Including several legendary concept cars such as the Pininfarina Dino Berlinetta Competition, the BMC 1800 Aerodynamica and the Ferrari Modulo
*Also, motorcycles and scooters such as the Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans, the Benelli 350 Sport and the 750/6 and the Gilera GSA 50

Page Size 219mm x 304mm
304 pages
1,167 images
Hard cover with dust jacket