Car Guy Reports from Modena

Sounds to me like this would be a perfect project for a college kid that is studying automotive design. All that is needed to get started is a computer and a large scanner. I bet the student would do it for free just for the bragging rights of having put his hands on Michelotti's great designs. With a little creativity the local university could make it into a class project and end up with a full classroom of eager kids scanning and documenting drawings; plus doing the web design.

The same can be said for the Maserati factory archives. It is time to modernize the historical and technical documents and convert them to a format that can be shared electronically. For the GT cars there are more documents posted on my personal website than the factory website ... I find that very sad.

I am willing to dedicate my time and energy getting these folks organized and thinking of ways of better sharing information. All it takes is the will to get started.

Ivan

 

PM me if you guys need an assistant to help with moving archives online. It would be nice to put some of my enthusiasm and knowledge of vintage Italian cars towards productive ends. I have a bit of free time, resources, and plenty of seat time with a computer.

 

Ah ... I suspect there's a lot more greed, ethnicity and politics involved with who gets to do this for the Maserati factory but I agree wholeheartedly that it's criminal if this stuff is lost. But Maserati has a new person in charge of all of this ... Let's hope for the best.

Bob S.

 

Yep, that the only way to handle the archive! Imagine if every drawing would become accessable for everybody on the net......! What a waste!
But another question is - what to do with all this drawings? Only few of them are related to a particular car (like Ivan`s Vignale-proto). You can only have them as decorations in your garage, office etc.

Ciao!
Walter

 

Walter,

I am surprised that as a historian you feel these drawings are only good for decoration in a garage. I think there is a lot of value in seeing what the designer had in mind before his creation was transformed into metal. Just as interesting are the cars that never got built.

And yes ...access to all is good! You never know who now or in the future will take an interest in researching these drawings.

Ivan

 

Ivan,
a drawing shows an impression of the designer. It document the way a design-language was developed. Most drwaings show "a" Maserati Spyder, coupe, etc.! Yes, this drawings are significant - but every old photo of the car shows more details and -of course- the final lines! Therefore it has NOT the importance on research terms than an old photo!
But this becomes a different story when a drawing shows a very particular car (like your proto-Spyder). Then this drawing becomes an individual part in the history of this special car.

IMO a period photo that shows Joe Lubin with your car is more important than the drawing. But if you have both - nothing can match that!

Ciao!
Walter

 

Frank,

For Edgardo to be successful in this Carol Shelby-like business endeavor then he will need to let people know what he has available and come up with prices. I believe this is where you can help him. People like me, and perhaps a few others, will fork up the dollars for a signed print ... which will be hanging in my garage (as Walter well put it).

Unfortunately this "solution" does very little to honor the legacy of Giovanni Michelotti and I would argue it cheapens the great man. Giovanni was able to create all those drawings, I just do not buy the argument that it is too difficult to scan and document them nor is it a "waste" to share them on the internet with the masses. Somewhere in those masses is the next Giovanni Michelotti. The way to honor the great man is to inspire the next generation of car designers.

Ivan

 

Ivan,
...and don`t get me wrong here: Michelotti was a true artist and I very much like his drawing.

Ciao!
Walter

 

No one said it does for the drawings you're mentioning here Frank. I was refering to the similar situation with the relative recent changes at Maserati and the retirement of Cozza. All that documentation needs to be digitized as well.

Bob S.

 

Why should the factory digitized all their docs when they don`t want to share those with the public?

Ciao!
Walter

 

So that they don't lose them through fire/theft/idiocy and ... when they do want to send someone something it can easily be accomplished! As long as the digital document vault makes it onto Fiat's secure backup process this priceless stuff will always be there.

From the discussions of about a year or so ago it was alleged that there was some mysterious room/vault full of materials that even Cozza was not familiar with. Hey, maybe they've already got this well in control?

Bob S.

 

Bob,
the prewar-records are located in a different building in a suburb of Modena. This records contain fantastic things!!!

I agree with you fully about the fact that all their records should be sorted and correctly (!) archived! But this is a major job and I doubt very much if Fabio, the new man in charge, alone could do it.

As we all know - the Maserati archive is a very complex operation and very often more confusing than clearifying! Its aso one of the major part of the Italian automotive history - but the people around Signore Machionne doesn`t car!

Ciao!
Walter

 

Frank,
yes, I heared about the program of the digitized manuals "kits". IMO this is the minimum they should do...!
I am very sceptical about your views to Sig. Machionne, Vester etc....! There are only very few people who recognise the great heritage of Maserati and the potential that is with this brand!

But why they start with the kits for the very late cars like the QP IV and the 3200 GT???
The answer is - because its the easiest for them!

I hope that the new "winds" in the Viale Ciro Menotti 622 doesn`t become a small breeze....

Ciao!
Walter

 

Can you say Classiche?

 

WOW! That is very nice Frank!!! Glad to hear Maserati is working on that!

Too bad we can't get Lamborghini to do the same thing! If I had a nickel for every time I've heard "Sorry Mike, that part is NLA", I could retire!!!! Thank God back in those days, they used a lot of Alfa, FIAT, BMW and Mercedes parts that we can still get today!

Last year when Mr. Winkelmann and company were out here in Washington for the introduction of the Murcielago LP-670SV, I had a chance to ask him the question "what is Lamborghini going to do about heritage parts for the Countach, Jalpa, Miura, etc..."? I can't remember, where you there too Frank? Remember what he said? Something like, "we are looking into that....." right.... I'm not holding my breath! ;-)

Have fun over there!!!

Mike

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Walter. +1 exactly

I feel like Maserati is the giant pink elephant in the room that Fiat has to hide whenever Ferrari comes around....... The problem is there are not that many places to hide an elephant like this.

 

And ... time is of the essence. It should be completed before everyone who can contribute at least "something" is gone. It should have been done right after the sale to Fiat while Giulio Alfieri and others were still around.

Bob S.

 

At that time Ferrari hadn't figured out how to make it profitable.