Pininfarina is best known for making some of the most beautiful and fastest cars we have even seen. Names like the Ferrari F50 and 612 come to mind. So if you are responsible for such names, what happens when you want more? Well, I guess the sky’s the limit.

Pininfarina’s Agusta AW139 Executive Helicopter is the ultimate way to travel in the air. The cabin can hold you and 8 of your closest business partners comfortably. The interior is adorned with wood
grain panels and leather upholstery. For the longer journeys, 2 15″ LCD monitors are connected to a DVD system and an 8-speaker surround sound system, with subwoofer of course.

Also included in the package is a fully programmable Satellite Navigation System, a telephone for making those important decisions on the spot and dual-zone climate control system. For power, the Pininfarina Agusta uses a pair of Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67C turboshaft engines. Both are hooked up to a complex digital monitoring system and are controlled via a central panel in the cockpit. The Agusta is being sold through the Aero Toy Store, and will most likely be reserved for the very very wealthy.

These are some marques that display classic Italian design. With lines, curves, structure, and grace placed into each and every Italian designed car, engineers have captured the marvel that makes Italian automobiles a little more exciting than your average car today. The driver’s seat of that  special Italian car becomes sort of a pedestal, like only a favorite car can.   With style and cunning technique  Italians have created many poster cars, especially Lamborghini and Ferrari. A car that makes you think it’s not of this world and looks fast, even when it is not moving. Italian automobile designers have many great achievements, especially the design house ItalDesign, known even for non-Italian designs, like the BMW M1, and the original Volkswagen Golf.

Each and every car begins with a  drawing, and a sketch that is then brought to life by the great minds of engineering and design gurus, and with the help of skillful hands the design becomes an assembly built production car. It is then usually fitted with unique rear or mid engines that is shipped over, sent to your local dealership prestigious enough to handle and sell such marques, and placed in your hands to enjoy a car that not only looks great but also performs. Most Italian carmakers started out the same way, which was racing, and there are so many cars to see.

From Le Mans to Formula 1, Italians know how to take on the biggest names in the racing world, and continue to compete for the win. When a production car comes into racing circuits, you’re sure to see that it has fared well in reliability and performance and has been famed as an all around top notch vehicle. When it is the other way around, you see the rarest of rare, a car sold to the general public due to racing regulations stating that there must be a certain amount sold to  before it can be raced, a great example of this in action is  the Maserati MC12.

Racing creates amazing one-off cars that in years will be worth their weight in gold and usually sold to the highest bidder. There are cars made specifically to take on competition, and Italians still produce a car that not only looks stunning, but is also a fierce competitor in any battle. The cars themselves become idolized and renown throughout the world, like the original Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa. Italian marques take their knowledge and skill to create a grand touring car that not only performs like a racecar but can be driven on the street. Another excellent example of this would be the innovative and new 2006 Enzo Ferrari.

With more technology placed into this auto than most other cars in the world, it has been made specifically for the track, yet is sold to the public for street use. Mind you there were only 349 made, and Ferrari has a strict policy on who can purchase the car, and only those who have purchased Ferraris in the past can get their hands on this automotive marvel. It has more technologically advanced features than most cars today, including wind tunnel molding, carbon fiber sculpting, and an engine proven to take on top speeds and quick times, this specific supercar is the pride and joy of an engineering master, hence its name. Buy car with fast cash.

Italian sports cars are created with one thing in mind, to take what they have learned from the track and place it into your hands, and that is why these supercars make Italy one of the premiere carmakers in the world.

Maserati is an Italian car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company’s headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993. Inside the Fiat Group, Maserati was initially associated with Ferrari S.p.A., but more recently it has become part of the sports car group including Alfa Romeo.

History
The Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore, Ernesto and Mario, were all involved with automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century. Alfieri, Bindo and Ernesto built 2-litre Grand Prix cars for Diatto. In 1926, Diatto suspended the production of race cars, leading to the creation of the first Maserati and the founding of the Maserati marque. One of the first Maseratis, driven by Alfieri, won the 1926 Targa Florio. Maserati began making race cars with 4, 6, 8 and 16 cylinders (actually two straight eights mounted parallel to one another). Mario, an artist, is believed to have devised the company’s trident emblem, based on one the Fontana del Nettuno, Bologna. Alfieri Maserati died in 1932, but three other brothers, Bindo, Ernesto and Ettore, kept the firm going, building cars that won races.

In 1937, the remaining Maserati brothers sold their shares in the company to the Adolfo Orsi family, who in 1940 relocated the company headquarters to their hometown of Modena,[3] where it remains to this day. The brothers continued in engineering roles with the company. Racing successes continued, even against the giants of German racing, Auto Union and Mercedes. In 1939, a Maserati 8CTF won the Indianapolis 500, a feat repeated the following year.

The war then intervened, Maserati abandoning cars to produce components for the Italian war effort. During this time, Maserati worked in fierce competition to construct a V16 towncar for Benito Mussolini before Ferry Porsche of Volkswagen built one for Adolf Hitler. This failed, and the plans were scrapped. Once peace was restored, Maserati returned to making cars; the Maserati A6 series did well in the post-war racing scene.

Key people joined the Maserati team. Alberto Massimino, an old Fiat engineer, with both Alfa Romeo and Ferrari experiences oversaw the design of all racing models for the next ten years. With him joined engineers Giulio Alfieri, Vittorio Bellentani, and Gioacchino Colombo. The focus was on the best engines and chassis to succeed in car racing. These new projects saw the last contributions of the Maserati brothers, who after their 10-year contract with Orsi expired went on to form O.S.C.A.. This new team at Maserati worked on several projects: the 4CLT, the A6 series, the 8CLT, and, pivotally for the future success of the company, the A6GCM.

The famous Argentinian driver Juan-Manuel Fangio raced for Maserati for a number of years in the 1950s, producing a number of stunning victories including winning the world championship in 1957 in the Maserati 250F alongside Toulo de Graffenried, Louis Chiron, Prince Bira, Enrico Platé, and a few others. Other racing projects in the 1950s were the 200S, 300S (with several famous pilots, among them Benoit Musy), 350S, and 450S, followed in 1961 by the famous Tipo 61.

Maserati had retired from factory racing participation due to the Guidizzolo accident in 1957, though they continued to build cars for privateers. After 1957, Maserati became more and more focussed on road cars, and chief engineer Giulio Alfieri built the 6-cylinder 3500 2+2 coupé, which featured an aluminum body over Carrozzeria Touring’s superleggera structure, a design also used for the small-volume V8-powered 5000. Next came the Vignale-bodied Sebring, launched in 1962, the Mistral Coupé in 1963 and Spider in 1964, both designed by Pietro Frua, and also in 1963, the company’s first four-door, the Quattroporte, designed by Frua as well. The two-seat Ghibli coupé was launched in 1967, followed by a convertible in 1969.

Citroën Ownership
In 1968, Maserati was taken over by the French car manufacturer, Citroën. Adolfo Orsi remained the nominal president, but Maserati changed a great deal. New models were launched, and built in much greater numbers than before. Citroën borrowed Maserati expertise and engines for the Citroën SM and other vehicles, and Maseratis also incorporated Citroën technology, particularly in hydraulics.

New models included the Maserati Bora, the first mass-produced mid-engined Maserati, in 1971, and the Maserati Merak and Maserati Khamsin soon afterwards; the Maserati Quattroporte II, which shared some parts with Citroën SM, never came into production, although seven were made to special order. The 1973 oil crisis, however, put the brakes on this ambitious expansion when the demand for fuel-hungry sports cars shrank. Citroën went bankrupt in 1974 and on 23 May 1975, the new controlling group PSA Peugeot Citroën declared that Maserati was also in administration. Propped up by Italian government funds (GEPI, Societa di Gestioni e Partecipazioni Industriali dello Stato Italiano), the company was kept in business.

The Maserati engine and its associated gearbox have been used in other vehicles such as Special Rally prepared Citroën DS, as used by Bob Neyret in Bandama Rally or in the Ligier JS 2.

De Tomaso
In 1975 the company was taken over by Alessandro de Tomaso,[4] an Argentinian former racing driver, who became managing director. De Tomaso, with aid from GEPI,[5] had arranged for the Benelli motorcycle company, which he controlled, to buy Maserati from Citroën and install him as its head. New models were introduced in 1976, including the Maserati Kyalami and the Maserati Quattroporte III.

The 1980s saw the company largely abandoning the mid-engined sports car in favour of squarely styled, front-engined, rear-drive coupes, cheaper than before but with aggressive performance, like the Maserati Biturbo.The Maserati Biturbo engine was fitted in a large number of models, all sharing key components. These inclided a short two door coupe, the Maserati Karif, and a cabriolet, the Spyder, designed by Zagato. The last version of the Maserati Biturbo was called Maserati Racing. It has been a transitional model in which several features to be found on the Ghibli II and the Shamal were tested. Two new coupes, the Maserati Shamal and Maserati Ghibli II, were released in 1990 and 1992, respectively.

The company also worked loosely with Chrysler, now headed by de Tomaso’s friend Lee Iacocca. Chrysler purchased part of Maserati and the two jointly produced a car, the Chrysler TC by Maserati.

There were also two further very challenging projects:
the Chubasco a V8 mid-engine sports car, unfortunately due to lack of funding remained a dream.
the Maserati Barchetta a small open top mid engine sports car, designed by Synthesis design (Carlo Gaino) ; unfortunately very few cars were produced.

Fiat Ownership
1993 saw the company acquired by Fiat. Substantial investments were made in Maserati, and it has since undergone something of a renaissance.

In 1999, a new chapter began in Maserati’s history when the company launched the 3200 GT. This two-door coupé is powered by a 3.2 L twin-turbocharged V8 which produces 370 hp (276 kW); the car does 0–60 mph in 5.5 seconds. Its top speed is 285 km/h (177 mph). It was replaced by the Maserati Spyder and Coupé in the 2002 model year, which in turn were replaced by the GranTurismo.

Ferrari
In July 1997, Fiat Auto sold a 50% share in the company to Maserati’s long-time arch-rival Ferrari (Ferrari being itself a sister company to Fiat Auto under the Fiat Group umbrella). In 1999 Ferrari took full control, making Maserati its luxury division. A new factory was built, replacing the existing 1940s-vintage facility. Ferrari is credited for bringing Maserati back into business, after many lackluster years of Maserati teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

More recently, Maserati discussed an agreement with Volkswagen for the German company to share its Audi division’s Quattro all-wheel-drive technology (originally meant for the still-born Maserati Kubang sport utility vehicle concept) for Maserati’s current Quattroporte platform.[citation needed] This idea has since been abandoned because Volkswagen owns two of Ferrari’s direct rivals, Lamborghini and Bugatti.[citation needed]

Meanwhile two new models have been shown to the public: the MC12 road supersports and successful GT racer with an Ferrari Enzo–derived chassis and engine. And the Quattroporte, a high luxury saloon with the 4.2l V8 engine. Maserati is nowadays back in the business, very successfully selling on a global basis. In 2001 Ferrari decided to throw away all the old tooling and installed high-tech devices in the Modena factory, making it one of the most advanced in the world. You can buy with payday advance.

Partnered with Alfa Romeo
In 2005 Maserati were split off from Ferrari and merged with Alfa Romeo under Fiat Auto. Maserati sold 2,006 cars in the United States in 2005, 2,108 in 2006, and 2,540 in 2007. In the second quarter of 2007 Maserati made profit for the first time in the 17 years under Fiat Group ownership.

Italy Car Hire Winter snow tires OR snow chains ? Going skiing in Italy this winter ? Making your own way to the Italian ski property or hotel ? Hiring a car in Italy ? If you answered yes to all these then the following is advised reading about winter snow tires and snow chains. Have you hired a car in Italy with winter snow tires ? Please post a comment to let us know where. I was on my way to the Italian dolomites sourcing Italian ski property and innocently just hired a car at Bergamo BGY airport and set off.

Great weather, sun shining, 20’C in the last week of November…snow never crossed my mind. .. as it had been reported that recent snow falls had melted and no snow was due. I was driving up to Arabba and had a meeting in the next valley in Alto Badia. It had started raining and slowly i was climbing altitude. Just before Arabba the rain changed to fine snow. Slush started to form on the roads and i continued to climb. I drove through Arabba, going fine and turned to take the Passo Campolungo (1875m) to Corvara. 5 minutes out of Arabba the road had turned white. I was going quite slowly just to be safe and a few cars were overtaking. I started to think snow chains but i saw that the other cars didn’t have them on so i kept on going. I came to a steep climb and my wheels started slipping.

I pulled up to reflect as i had still quite a climb ahead of me and yet another car overtook me still with no snow chains and then it clicked they must have winter snow tires on. Now back in Bergamo airport winter snow tires were never mentioned, nor snow chains. So there i was stuck on the road in the snow. I gently reversed and turned round and went back to Arabba. Called my meeting contact and agreed that he came over to meet me in Arabba rather than  me going to him. Pulled up in Arabba, now with a little snow on the roads, but nothing serious and parked up outside a bar. A quick cappuccino and my contact turned up. We agree to go over to his office in the next valley in his car fitted with winter snow tires. During the journey he explained to me about winter snow tires and how they have a special grip that heats up and grips the snow permitting you to drive over snow with an amazing control.

Those hairpin bends covered in snow looked dangerous but we glided round them. 3 hours later after a successful meeting he brings me back to Arabba and to my surprise my car is now in half a meter of snow. My man suggests leaving the car where it is and staying in a local hotel as tomorrow the snow should disappear. Great thanks ciao. In the bar the locals had received the overnight weather forecast and more and more snow was forecasted. Everyone laughed at me for having normal tires on the car and travelling without snow chains. From the bar window i could see vans pulling up and attaching their snow chains. I decided it was time to get out of Arabba, I had a plane the next day and i didn’t want to remain stuck here.

The barman lent me 2 large spades and I started digging and clearing the road so i could reverse my car out, stupidly parked on a slope. I jumped in the car hot and sweaty, covered in snow and hit reverse and all i got was wheel spin. Oh no. Stuck in the snow. More digging a little grit and eventually i managed to move the car onto the thick snow covered road. Locals advised the local car mechanic for a set of snow chains. Snow chains have you ever used them ?? 100 meters down the road at crawling speed in 1st gear and i made it to the mechanic. 100 euros later i had a set of snow chains fitted to the front tires. Yes 100 euros !! Amazing you can buy them in the supermarket for 35 euros. Pulled out of the mechanic’s and on to the road. I could now drive in 2nd gear at 20mph . I was safe. 10 minutes later and the snow on the road started turning back into slush. I had made it…or so i believed !!

Have you ever tried to fit and remove snow chains ?? Well i drove on the slushy road for about 5 minutes with the chains on, hoping to find a sheltered illuminated spot…no chance. I had been advised NOT to drive too far with snow chains on and with no snow on the road so eventually i stopped. Rain, wind and dark and my first attempt of removing snow chains. It’s not easy. Instructions in hand, mobile phone trying to create some light and NO luck. They just wouldn’t unhook. Like a damsel in distress finally some kind soul pulled over and asked if all was ok ? “Of course not i can’t get these damn snow chains off” and in 2 seconds he slipped them off the wheels. Moral of the story. Snow chains are hassle. It is much easier to have winter snow tires. Believe me. In Italy you are legally obliged to carry snow chains or have winter snow tires when in the Italian winter mountains.

You will see the road sign indicating where and when they are necessary. The police regularly monitor the roadside and pull you over for inspections. Fines vary from 100-300 euros if you are without either. Yet NONE of the car hire firms in Italy hire cars with winter tires  !!! So either hire some snow chains, which is expensive, but less than a fine or buying them when stuck in the mountains and learn to fit and remove them in a dry warm garage and NOT on the roadside in the cold wet dark. Many Italians have a laugh at the foreigners stuck on the roadside fitting and removing snow chains. With wives in the car shouting out instructions and incompetent husbands struggling. Don’t worry you won’t be the first or the last. Learn before you hit the snow !!

If you know of any car hire firm in Italy that hires cars with winter snow tires please let us know by submitting your comments. I have heard of some people who rent their car in France or Switzerland or Austria where car hire firms provide winter snow tires and then drive into Italy. Have you done this ? Remember if you are heading into the Italian ski resorts this winter to ski in Italy or to stay in your Italian ski property then be prepared. Moss Italian Property Consultants have a range of Italian ski property investments in Italy.