06.09.2018 SIXTY FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING: TODAY SEES THE PREMIERE OF THE "LINEA DIAMANTE"

GIO PONTI - LINEA DIAMANTE - GRAND BASEL 2018

First look at the new 'Linea Diamante' project that was the idea of legendary architect and industrial designer Gio Ponti and which has finally been brought to life, 65 years after it was designed, as it makes its debut today at the opening of Grand Basel.

 
GIO PONTI - LINEA DIAMANTE - GRAND BASEL 2018

The world premiere of the 'Linea Diamante' car at Grand Basel is set on a long pedestal stand, which acts as a physical timeline to present the car, with the viewer transported back to the early 1950s. At the front, Ponti's unique and futuristic vehicle is displayed between his milestone '626 Superleggera' chair and a gigantic cutout of the iconic Pirelli Tower.

First look at the new 'Linea Diamante' project that was the idea of legendary architect and industrial designer Gio Ponti and which has finally been brought to life, 65 years after it was designed, as it makes its debut today at the opening of Grand Basel.

Gio Ponti (1891-1979) was an architect, industrial designer, university teacher, artist and publicist. He created numerous icons, such as the 32- storey Pirelli Tower in Milan - regarded as one of the most elegant skyscrapers in the world - and the famous 'Superleggera' chair, which embodied lightness in both aesthetic and physical terms.

In 1928, he co- founded the influential architecture and design magazine, Domus, which celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2018 and supports Grand Basel as a cultural partner.

The revolutionary 'Diamond Line' car

In 1953, Ponti - aided by his colleague Alberto Rosselli - conceived a car that was developed to design principles not yet applied in the automotive industry. Their starting point was an aerodynamic teardrop shape, but this soon developed into the more angular 'Linea Diamante' (Diamond Line).

Ponti saw his new design as a necessary reaction to the staid automobile styling of the time, which was characterised by large, swollen shapes with small windows and dark interiors.

By comparison, his vision was a more architectural car with flat-form body panels and windows, and a substantial glass area that would flood the cabin with light.

The clever packaging would enhance the utilitarian aspect of the car, enabling a generously-proportioned cabin and a spacious boot. Furthermore, the neat innovation of a rubber bumper running the full circumference of the car – with spring-mounted 'buffers' at the front and rear – was to be a special collaboration with the Pirelli tyre company.

Originally conceived to be bodied on the chassis of an Alfa Romeo 1900 saloon car, Ponti first sought a partnership with Milan-based Carrozzeria Touring and then turned to Fiat for production of a subcompact model, but the design was rebuffed.

It is said that history is often 'the right idea at the wrong time'. Two decades later, many cars would have caught up with the principles embodied in Ponti's automobile, such as the Renault 16 of the mid 1960s or the first- generation VW Passat seen in 1972. These developments in car design were vindication for Ponti, highlighting his genius and foresight.

A special world premiere exhibition at Grand Basel marks the first time that his remarkable car has ever been progressed beyond a 1:10 scale model.

The Automobile by Ponti project

This fascinating car has been brought to life in 2018, 65 years after Gio Ponti first envisaged its shape, thanks to efforts of the 'The Automobile by Ponti' project.

“Throughout history, the automobile has influenced – and has been influenced by – design, architecture and the arts and 'The Automobile by Ponti’ is an archetype of this interconnected relationship,” explains Prof. Paolo Tumminelli, chairman of Grand Basel's Advisory Board, who initiated the project in 2017.

As a fitting tribute to the remarkable design talent of Gio Ponti, the 'Linea Diamante' car revealed at Grand Basel is a full-size model, crafted with meticulous attention to detail by a design team directed by Roberto Giolito, Head of FCA Heritage, upon specifications outlined on Ponti’s original drawings. In a nod to its original collaboration with Ponti in 1953, Pirelli supplied period tyres of the correct specification for the model chassis and year.

"Design is architecture on the move," said Giolito. "And this bright and ethereal design is still groundbreaking today." Critical to the development of the model was a detailed analysis and understanding of original sketches by Gio Ponti. "It took time to sort through different documents in order to decipher sketches and studies," added Giolito. "It was vital we had the right people working on this project, acting as mediators between the creative side and the industrial production side. Taking a car from just a sketch to a life-size vehicle is a major effort."

“We are incredibly excited to show Ponti’s 'Linea Diamante' car as a full- size model for the first time at Grand Basel. This is exactly the type of exhibit that we have promised to offer our visitors – something unexpected, which they have never seen before,” said Mark Backé, Global Director of Grand Basel.

Salvatore Licitra, representative of the Gio Ponti Archives and grandson of Gio Ponti, adds: “To see this design come to life for the first time, 65 years after the original drawings were created, is truly remarkable. The car was thought to be too radical at the time, but many of its features would prove fundamental in the two decades of car design that followed.”

"When we were approached with an idea of constructing Gio Ponti's visionary car, we enthusiastically endorsed the project. The collaboration links perfectly to Domus, now 90 years young and founded by Gio Ponti in 1928," says Maria Giovanna Mazzocchi, President of Editoriale Domus. "We rose to this tough challenge with enthusiasm, and we take pride and satisfaction in the results."

Grand Basel debut – a trip back to the early 1950s

The world premiere of the 'Linea Diamante' car at Grand Basel is set on a long pedestal stand, which acts as a physical timeline to present the car, with the viewer transported back to the early 1950s. At the front, Ponti's unique and futuristic vehicle is displayed between his milestone '626 Superleggera' chair and a gigantic cutout of the iconic Pirelli Tower.

The floor is printed as a macro replica of the geometric lines of Ponti's design of ceramic tiles, which highlights the sharp lines of the car, whose shape can be read as 'architecture on wheels'. Even the colour of the car follows Ponti’s favourite shades of blue from the period.

Behind the car, in perfect juxtaposition, the most modern and fashionable family saloon of the 1950s – the sporty Alfa Romeo 1900 – acts as a stylistic reference for car design of the period. This is the design code that Ponti masterfully aimed at surpassing with his 'Linea Diamante'. As a charming counterpart to the cutout of Ponti's Pirelli Tower stands the gothic style of the Duomo di Milano.

The presentation at Grand Basel is a diorama that plays on a real photograph by the Alfa Romeo press department for the 1900 saloon. Yesterday and tomorrow in car design and architecture are brought together to reveal the imaginative power of the Italian master, Gio Ponti.

On both sides of the wall, following an imaginary timeline, the design process of the 'Linea Diamante' car and the deployment of the design concept – from first sketch to a real car – is presented in drawings and photography. Accordingly, the contemporary Alfa Romeo 1900, whose rolling chassis Ponti thought to use for his own car, is presented both in design and as a commercial identity.

The fate of 'Linea Diamante'

Ponti's reaction to car design of the 1950s – namely that vehicles of this era were typically "bloated, full of unused space" – was directly influenced by his work in contemporary architecture and industrial design. A new, utilitarian approach to buildings was emerging in the post-war era, but the same could not be said about automobile styling.

His revolutionary 'Linea Diamante' concept envisaged bodywork that was shapely, but crisp. It was a direct application of architectural principles to the car – with flat-panel surfacing, enlarged glazed areas, and a fundamental redesign of the shape to produce greater internal space. However, his design proved far too radical for any company to seriously consider putting into production. His principles were not just years, but decades ahead of their time.

The debut of the 'The Automobile by Ponti' at Grand Basel is therefore not merely the debut of a fascinating car, but the world premiere of a revolutionary design language in 1:1 scale.

A promising future

The 'Automobile by Ponti' initiative aims to promote Gio Ponti’s unique and largely unknown vehicle – which rewrites the history of design, and car design with it – to a global audience. The model presented at Grand Basel is seen as a first step towards the recreation of a fully driveable automobile, based on original Alfa Romeo 1900 mechanicals and produced according to state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques of the 1950s.

Prior to that, a full design study and reconstruction of the interior, which was only partially completed by Ponti, may help to reconsider values in car design and discuss a new approach to mobility. These thoughts of the transport context were also held by Ponti himself, who wanted the driving experience in his car to be of 'airline quality'.

Linking the automobile to design, architecture and the arts, Grand Basel is the privileged setting at which to discuss and promote perspectives for such an exciting and culturally-meaningful initiative.

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