Autoblog

Pininfarina Cambiano carved from wood for furniture show

Zach Bowman — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:28:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Etc., Europe, Design/Style

You may remember the Pininfarina Cambiano as the creation that walked away with the honor of being named the most beautiful concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The design house decided to commemorate the honor by crafting something else special for the 2012 Milan Furniture Show.

Pininfarina turned to the craftsmen at Riva 1920 to put together a wood sculpture in the Cambiano's image. The piece is hewn from reclaimed Venice briccola wood - the same stuff that makes up all those mooring poles in the famous Italian city.

The 36-foot beams each carry unique markings, both from the lagoon water and the aquatic organisms that call the posts home. The result is a sculpture with many unique colors and markings.

Riva 1920 used the same wood to create the interior elements of the original Cambiano. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Pininfarina Cambiano carved from wood for furniture show

Pininfarina Cambiano carved from wood for furniture show originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pininfarina mulling limited production run of Cambiano PHEV concept

Noah Joseph — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:59:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Electric, Diesel, MISC

A design studio and contract manufacturer, when Pininfarina builds a car it's typically under another brand's auspices. That could change, however, with the Cambiano.

Unveiled just last week at the Geneva Motor Show, the 680-horsepower plug-in hybrid coupe concept - which we had the opportunity to examine close-up in the ramp-up to the show - is being considered for limited production.

If built for public consumption, the Cambiano is tipped to ditch the concept's diesel turbine in favor of a more conventional electric powertrain with its range extended by a diesel engine. If Pininfarina were to build just ten examples, the pricetag on each would amount to about 1 million euros (approximately $1.3 million at today's conversion rates) but if ramped up to 70 or 75 units, each would fetch around 400,000 euros (about $525,000).

Pininfarina mulling limited production run of Cambiano PHEV concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Autoblog goes one-on-one with the Pininfarina Cambiano Concept [w/video]

Matt Davis — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Mini, Design/Style, Electric, Diesel, Luxury

Italian Turbine-Powered Calling Card For A New Era...And A New Maserati Quattroporte?

The global meltdown that boiled to the surface in 2008 was really hard on a lot of car companies, but it was categorically horrendous for the tradition of Italian car craftsmanship out of Turin.

Of the three big players left in the traditional Italian design mecca - Italdesign Giugiaro, Bertone and Pininfarina - only Giugiaro has managed to avoid administrative takeover of its debts and assets by working out a major deal with longtime allies Volkswagen to sell them 90.1 percent of the firm. Both Bertone and Pininfarina are currently trusted to oversee their own operations but are nonetheless bonded to pay off significant operational debts to Italian banks after having hammered out merciful sweetheart low-interest deals. Neither has succeeded in closing mutually agreeable VW-style takeover bids, but both would probably prefer not doing so anyway.

The Geneva Motor Show has been treated as Italy's (and my) hometown gig ever since the once wonderful Turin auto show fizzled away in 2002. One of the great spectacles of the Swiss salon is seeing the three major houses unveil their trinkets to the press, their stands traditionally placed side-by-side for maximum effect. This year, Italdesign Giugiaro will naturally show off some Volkswagen conceptual thinking, while Bertone has once again chosen a whimsical dream showcar approach with its 1970 Stratos-inspired Nuccio concept meant to commemorate Corrozzeria Bertone's centenary.

But the Pininfarina stand will most likely steal the attention of showgoers. How can you lose with a spanking new and hot Ferrari F12 Berlinetta and a concept that seems to hint at a future replacement for the Maserati Quattroporte?

Continue reading Autoblog goes one-on-one with the Pininfarina Cambiano Concept [w/video]

Autoblog goes one-on-one with the Pininfarina Cambiano Concept [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Full Pininfarina Cambiano concept renderings leaked ahead of Geneva *UPDATE

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Sedan, Specialty, Design/Style, MISC

Italian magazine Quattroruote has somehow procured a set of renders showing every angle of the plug-in Pininfarina Cambiano concept. The show car will arrive at the Geneva Motor Show and is heavyweight celebration of several Pininfarina milestones: the 10th anniversary of the company's Engineering Centre, the 30th birthday of its Styling Centre and it's named for the town of Cambiano where Pininfarina is located. What's more, it was inspired by the design house's Lancia Florida II from 1957, an example of which was reportedly owned and slept in by the company founder.

Are you ready for the word "coupe" to carry more baggage? The designers call the Cambiano a coupe, but it's got three doors: one on the left, two on the right. Other details are as novel: it's roughly 16 feet long, weighs 3,740 pounds and is gets its power from a diesel-fueled microturbine providing juice to four electric motors of 80 horsepower each. The stats are estimated to include a 4.2-second run from zero to 60 mph and an all-electric range of "better than 200 kilometers." That's 125 miles, which implies a big battery pack. When fully charged and filled with diesel, the car can go for a bladder-busting 800 km (497 miles).

There's a lot going on with the design so have a look at the photos in the gallery and judge for yourselves, but we find ourselves mesmerized by a Dodge Daytona Charger backlight that flows into an Intrepid rear end. Pininfarina designers spoke like there was more to this car than just a concept exercise, though, so we'll look forward to seeing it in Geneva.

*UPDATE: More information on the plug-in nature of this concept was added after publication.

Full Pininfarina Cambiano concept renderings leaked ahead of Geneva *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pininfarina Cambiano concept comes into focus with two more images

Noah Joseph — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:58:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show

The Geneva Motor Show never fails to deliver when it comes to concept cars. Unveiled alongside the latest production models, concepts represent a way for automakers to showcase where their heads are at and where they want to be going in the future. But it's not always automakers that present the concepts. Sometimes they come from design houses like Pininfarina.

These independent styling studios and engineering firms have come into some trouble lately as the automakers that used to contract their services for a variety of applications are increasingly relying on in-house departments. But Pininfarina has been resilient. Where others have closed, Pininfarina soldiers on. And this is its latest design.

Called the Cambiano after the town in which the company is based, this design study was first teased with a solitary cropped frontal image released on Facebook. Now a little over a week later, Pininfarina has released two more, showing part of the side in profile and the top from above. We'll have to wait a little longer to see more, but from what we've seen so far, the Cambiano has our interests suitably piqued.

Pininfarina Cambiano concept comes into focus with two more images originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pininfarina previews Geneva-bound Cambiano concept

Noah Joseph — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:31:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Geneva Motor Show

There's virtually no end to the list of automakers for which Pininfarina has designed over the years. But every once in a while, the stoic Italian studio works up a project just for itself. And this is one such occasion.

So what is the occasion, you ask? The 30th anniversary of the company's Styling Centre, and the 10th anniversary of its Engineering Centre, which were founded in 1982 and 2002, respectively. The dual milestone is celebrated with the Cambiano concept car.

Named for the town in which Pininfarina is based, the Cambiano is an environmentally friendly sport sedan concept which the company will unveil at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March. That's about all we have to go on at the moment, revealed on the studio's Facebook page along with the teaser image above. Watch this space for more as the Swiss expo approaches.

Pininfarina previews Geneva-bound Cambiano concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments