FROM CLASSIC CHATTER
GRAND BASEL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT PERSONAL INTERPRETATIONS OF AUTOMOTIVE CULTURE
One of the special exhibitions at the first Grand Basel in Basel are six curated frames that display cars and other items of historical significance, showcasing the advisory board members' personal interpretation of automotive culture.
Grand Basel presents not just cars, but everything that is associated with and inspired by cars. With input from the unique advisory board, it showcases the epitome of automotive culture. Key elements of the first Grand Basel show in Basel have been curated on the views of a completely independent advisory board, encompassing leading figures from beyond the automotive world.
Heading up the advisory board is Prof. Paolo Tumminelli, director of the Goodbrands Institute, design critic and professor of Cultural Sciences at Cologne University of Applied Sciences.
Prof. Tumminelli is flanked by executive members comprising contemporary artist, Sylvie Fleury and creative entrepreneur and founder of Garage Italia, Lapo Elkann. Honorary board members include: cultural commentator and author, Stephen Bayley; design theoretician, Prof. Dr Michael Erlhoff; and world-renowned ‘car designer of the century’ Giorgetto Giugiaro.
Prof. Paolo Tumminelli – 1980 Fiat Panda
The founding chairman of the advisory board, Prof. Tumminelli is a frequent commentator on automobile design and a firm believer in the value of the automobile as a cultural asset.
Exhibits:
Fiat Panda 45 'Saved No. 1', Giorgetto Giugiaro, 1976-80 (Model Year 1980)
Voxson Tanga FM, Rodolfo Bonetto, 1978
Olivetti Valentine, Ettore Sottsass Jr., 1969
Hantarex MGG EQ/3 28", Luigi Cameroni, 1989
In his curated frame, Prof. Tumminelli presents a derelict 38-year-old Fiat Panda – a car that was found in Sardinia in 2008 and driven to the Neue Sammlung design museum in Munich. It is an honest representation of the automobile in its most pure form as a user-friendly tool. The iconic design by Giorgetto Giugiaro was unapologetically simple, in the tradition of practical compact cars such as the Citroen 2CV and Renault 4.
"The Panda is the very last car made for people, the last surviving witness of a time when the car was still serving humans - and not the other way around," explained Prof. Tumminelli. "It is tireless, unpretentious, immediate, uncomplicated: a T-shirt on wheels, pure mobility. While not beautiful in the classical sense, and easy to overlook as a masterpiece of rational architecture, the Panda irrevocably completes the development of the popular automobile, which began in 1908 with the Ford T.
"The Panda was built, bought, used, consumed and abused – and the example of display at Grand Basel exemplifies its huge cultural impact in this respect. Furthermore, its design concept is now perhaps more topical than ever: a role model of the ecologically and economically sensible, with the principles for a truly sustainable automobile of the future."
Giorgetto Giugiaro – 2018 GFG Sibylla GG 80
Legendary as the architect of the contemporary automobile, Giugiaro is the genius creator of models like the Fiat Panda, the VW Golf and the Lotus Esprit. In celebration of his 80th birthday, the master is presenting his most recent design: the electric GFG Sibylla, created by Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro in partnership with the smart energy management company, Envision. Elsewhere at the show, Giugiaro's first concept car – the Corvair Testudo – will also be on display.
Giugiaro is not only the 'car designer of the century' – he is also a true artist at heart, with a talent for human portraits. Presented at Grand Basel are three original Giugiaro paintings – Sammy Davis Jr, Indian and Pagliaccio – which act as a counterpart to the exhibition of his achievements in car design. These are his 'youthful passions' set in the context of the work of his lifetime. The three portraits testify to different existences and contexts and confront the explosion of lines and functional forms at Grand Basel.
Exhibits:
Sibylla GG 80, Giorgetto Giugiaro, 2018
Sammy Davis Jr., Giorgetto Giugiaro, 1958
Indian (Indian), Giorgetto Giugiaro, 1958
Pagliaccio (Clown), Giorgetto Giugiaro, 1970
The Sibylla on show was produced for Mr Giugiaro on bespoke specifications. This first road legal example brings together beautiful design with clean energy, defining a car that integrates with a future new energy infrastructure. A four-seater with generous packaging at over five metres long, the Sibylla is also equipped with all-wheel drive. Its design references the low, provocative and hedonistic cars designed by Giugiaro in the 1960s and 1970s, but is juxtaposed with the futuristic electric powertrain that drives the car.
Sylvie Fleury – 1963 Lincoln Continental
Artist Sylvie Fleury explores consumer culture in her work, and its relation towards gender and politics. American cars are also a passion for her and are often an important topic in her video works and installations. Fleury is the founder and president of the American car club “She-Devils on Wheels.”
Exhibits:
Lincoln Continental, Elwood Engel with Colin Neale, 1961 (the Model Year 1963)
Labrisrynthe, Sylvie Fleury, 2008
"I was thrilled by the chance to present Pablo Picasso’s last personal car in my frame at Grand Basel," said Sylvie Fleury. "His white Lincoln Continental, a huge, powerful machine, shows an interface between art and design. Picasso was a true car connoisseur, and this 1963 car is still owned by his family. I parked the car in my frame like it was a sculpture, and the masculine design is played off against my two-metre tall chromed shark tooth artwork, which harks back to a time when it was fashionable for women to wear a real shark tooth as a necklace pendant.
"Another significant element is the banner that reads "Die Picasso sind da" ("The Picassos are here"). This pays homage to the amazing initiative that many Basel residents supported – culminating in 1968 – to ensure that significant Picasso paintings were able to stay in the city's Kunstmuseum, rather than being sold off. So now, it’s like Picasso is driving back to Basel!"
Prof. Dr Michael Erlhoff – Model cars in 1:87 scale
An influential design theoretician, writer and exhibition curator, Prof. Dr Michael Erlhoff is a former director of the German Design Council, founding president of the Raymond Loewy Foundation and founding dean of the Köln International School of Design.
Exhibits (1:87 scale):
Citroen DS, Flaminio Bertoni 1955 - 1975
Glas Goggomobil, Hans Glas GmbH, 1955 - 1969
Jaguar MK II, William Lyons, 1959 - 1969
Porsche 356 Cabrio, Erwin Komenda, 1948 - 1965
Porsche 911 SC, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, 1978 - 1984
BMW Isetta, IsoRivolta, 1955 - 1962
Borgward Isabella, Carl F. W. Borgward G.m.b.H, 1954 - 1961
Citroën 2CV Charleston, Flaminio Bertoni, 1949 - 1990
Messerschmitt Kabinenroller, Fritz M. Fend, 1953 - 1955
Instead of a full-sized dream car in sheet metal, Prof. Erlhoff will display toy models in his frame at Grand Basel. Each car will have significant links to important automotive history, but in miniature 1:87 scale, his personal approach will prove to be a charming perspective with a humorous, lighthearted spin.
"Small things can be very powerful," explained Prof. Erlhoff. "Just think of diamonds and atoms, for example you have to look very closely and to take some time to see them – they demand respect. When I was thinking of automobiles, I realised that the same could be true for small-scale models of the automobile. Many of these cars have stories to tell about their cultural impact, while others are simply beautifully elegant. Great dreams can come in small packages!"
Lapo Elkann – 2018 Fiat 500 Spiaggia by Garage Italia
When it comes to motion, design, creativity and style Lapo Elkann has been acclaimed for his unconventional yet uncompromising and disruptive taste. A successful entrepreneur, Mr Elkann founded lifestyle brand Italia Independent, communications agency Independent Ideas, and Garage Italia in Milan, a melting pot of Italian style, design, culture and cuisine.
Exhibits:
Fiat 500 Spiaggina by Garage Italia, 2018
The idea of the original Fiat 500 Jolly 'Spiaggina' of 1958 came from Fiat boss and Mr Elkann’s grandfather, Gianni Agnelli. He wanted a breezy summer car that could be carried on his yacht and that was light enough to be hauled ashore by the workforce. Remarkably, many of his Spiagginas were conceived as chauffeur driven limos. Carrozzeria Ghia created the original Jolly based on the Fiat 500: it had no roof, no doors, and only a rudimentary wind deflector. The cabin was adorned with wicker chairs and a basic frame onto which an awning could be attached. These features earned the car the nickname 'Spiaggina', Italian for 'beach chair'.
To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Garage Italia has created a new 500 Spiaggina, built to exactly the same principles, but brought right up-to-date. The new car has a shortened windshield and no roof, and the seats are upholstered in waterproofed leather. Instead of back seats, a cork-lined loading compartment incorporates a built-in shower – perfect for a refreshing spritz in hot summer weather. It will be offered to buyers on a custom order basis.
"Cars, design and art are among my greatest passions," said Lapo Elkann. "Innovation and contamination between different worlds - past, present and future - excite my heart and my brain, and the new 500 Spiaggina is a great example of this and the perfect fit for Grand Basel. It evokes beauty, positive energy, colours and good vibrations. It embodies 'La Dolce Vita' in its 4.0 version."
Stephen Bayley – 1962 Ford Consul Capri
Stephen Bayley is a highly regarded author, critic, columnist, broadcaster, consultant, debater and curator. The founding director of the London Design Museum, Bayley writes for several newspapers and magazines, including a regular column in CAR magazine, where he offers a critique of contemporary motoring design from a philosophical perspective.
Exhibits:
Ford Consul Capri, designed by Colin Neale, 1961 (the Model Year 1962)
"To misquote
Magritte, this is not a car. It is a dream. And this is the interpretation of dreams," explained Stephen Bayley. "The idea of what became the Ford Capri entered the mind of Ford of Britain’s designers in 1956, but as a slightly different car. This was an anguished year: the calamity of Suez marked the final end of the fading British Imperium. 'Project Sunbird' was established to give the designers something to dream about. And they dreamt about America. American prosperity offered an almost pornographic vista of possibilities.
"The result was one of the strangest mass-produced cars ever. Designer Colin Neale took styling cues from the Ford Galaxie, the Fairlane Skyliner and the Mercury Monterey. The huge rear deck is reminiscent of the ’61 Lincoln. Neale said the Capri was "sculpture in sheet metal". And its formal complexity made it ruinously expensive to manufacture.
"It was the first popular car to wear a 'GT' badge: the eighteenth century 'Grand Tour' having been the historical origins of Anglo-Continental voyeurism. And while there was nothing very much technically distinguished about the Capri, it was the first popular British car to use a Weber carburettor, establishing a vicarious connection to Ferrari and Maserati. Despite so much semantic promise, it was a sales calamity. A mere 19,421 were made. It is not only one of the strangest, but one of the rarest Fords. Dreams, you see, are soon dispersed."
Source: Grand Basel
MASERATI IS THE MAIN PARTNER OF THE GRAN PREMIO NUVOLARI 2018
