Berlinetta '50s - Rare Italian Coupes of the Fifties

Authors: Xavier De Nombel and Christian Descombes, Hardbound, 315 Pages, ISBN: 9791090267282 - Slipcased Edition, 2017

In the years following the Second World War, the Italian coachbuilders practised their art and demonstrated their talent on a huge range of cars. From this proliferation of creative ideas, both technical and artistic, some prestigious marques would emerge – Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

The coachbuilders such as Bertone, Ghia, Pininfarina, Vignale and Zagato made their contributions producing cars in series for the likes of Fiat, or for the most exclusive Ferrari, designing models to satisfy a clientele demanding exclusivity. This abundance of creativity, both technical and aesthetic, raised the Italian designers to a dominant position in international automotive design.

Specially photographed for this book, the author, Xavier de Nombel, pays tribute to the stylists who gave Italian design the leading position it occupied from the 1950s until the turn of the 21st century. Photographer Christian Descombes travelled widely to capture the cars in exciting and unusual settings which only serve to enhance their style.