Ferrari Pininfarina

When, in the early 1950s, Enzo Ferrari - who was already established as a master car builder - decided to diversify, he set out to find a premier couturier to adorn his cars, creations he likened to the loveliest Italian women. Legend has it that Enzo Ferrari and designer Battista Pininfarina first met midway between their respective places of work, as neither would agree to meeting on the other's territory. Their encounter was to result in some of the most extraordinary sports cars of the twentieth century. It also marked the beginning of the uncontested rule of Ferrari in the automobile world. The marriage of the house of the prancing horse with the Carrozzeria Pininfarina immediately proved a happy and prosperous one. With the introduction of the now-classic 212 Inter (of which only seventeen were produced), the partnership launched what was to become the world's most prestigious and celebrated line of sporting automobiles. Soon came such unforgettable models as the 375 America Berlinetta and the 250 GT Berlinetta - considered by some to be one of the most beautiful cars ever designed - along with an extraordinary suite of Ferrari admirers, from King Leopold of Belgium to Ingrid Bergman (who sat behind the wheel of the 375 America Berlinetta at the 1954 Paris Auto Show). The Ferrari-Pininfarina story is one of constant innovation, mixed with equal parts inspiration and technical expertise, and no small amount of personal drama: the famous Dino, introduced in 1965, was a tribute to Enzo's son Alfredino, who conceived and designed the Dino's V-6 engine from his hospital bed shortly before he died. Today, this heritage of automotive excellence has been passed on to the son's ofBattista and Enzo, whose legacy continues to generate the boldest, most applauded sports cars in the world. Here the story of these extraordinary men, and their new and dynamic vision of the car, is told in photographs, drawings, and drawing-board sketches of the most beautiful Fer