javier romagosa
From March 13 to June 2, the Turin National Automobile Museum exhibits, in collaboration with the Fiat Group, a sample of cars that belonged to Gianni Agnelli, historical patron of this business conglomerate.
Exhibition "Le Auto dell´Avvocato" It is divided into three different areas, each one enriched with graphics, photographs and audiovisual material. In the first, the visitor will be able to go through the history of Fiat, from its beginnings to the present, passing through the most important historical moments in Italy.
As regards the second, it is dedicated to Agnelli's personal cars. The following unique cars can be seen here: Lancia Thema SW Zagato, Fiat Panda Rock Moretti, Lancia K Limousine, Fiat 130 Shooting Brake Maremma, Fiat 130 station wagon, Fiat Croma, Ferrari 360 Speedway, Lancia Delta Spider Integrale, Fiat Multipla Spider and its favorite, Fiat 125. All these vehicles were made to measure.
In the third section the public will be able to admire how they were manufactured, within an area that represents the continuity between Agnelli's experience and the activity carried out during the last ten years in the Fiat Group. In it, several customized units are exhibited in collaboration with the Centro Stile Fiat, specifically a Fiat Panda, a 500, 500 Large and a “Taylor made” Ferrari.
The end of the exhibition is a tribute to the character of Gianni Agnelli, captain of industry and forerunner of the “Made in Italy” label.
L 'Avvocato
Deceased a decade ago, Giovanni Gianni Agnelli (1921-2003) was the architect of the transformation of Fiat into a multinational, thanks to a new mentality that included, among other growth tactics, the diversification of shareholders, the opening of new production plants in places as distant or strange as Latin America, Poland or the Soviet Union, or the search for synergies through alliances with companies such as Iveco, a giant of commercial vehicles.
Also, the purchase of other Italian car manufacturers whose survival in the late sixties was not assured, due to the first safety and pollution regulations and the social and labor revolution of the late sixties. The solutions to these new challenges required large investments of money for which they were not prepared, so that Ferrari, Lancia, and later Maserati and Alfa-Romeo, among others, would cease to be independent.
Agnelli, grandson of Giovanni Agnelli, founder of the brand at the beginning of the last century, made Fiat the largest company in Italy, with a political-economic influence of the first order. Even more so if we take into account his control of the important newspaper The print, among other media, and the Juventus football club in Turin. By the way, he became, worth the redundancy, the richest man in the country, although his fortune came from far in time, from the social strata of the nobility and the industrial bourgeoisie. Incredibly cultured, until his death he was regarded as a symbol of post-war capitalism and as the unofficial king of Italy.
The life experience of L 'Avvocato, named for his training as a lawyer, of which he never made profession, included his participation in World War II on the side of Mussolini's fascist regime: He invaded the USSR, where he was wounded twice, and once Italy was defeated, he served as an interpreter between the allied troops and the Italian people. Earlier, in 1935, he had prematurely lost his father.
The defeat of the transalpine country had consequences for his grandfather, who had supplied military equipment to the troops of the Italian dictator. He had to resign as president of Fiat and leave the historic Lingotto factory - with its impressive test track on the roof - and the Mirafiori factory in the hands of Vittorio Valletta. This economics professor would lead the Turinese brand rightly, until in 1966 Gianni was prepared to do so. The latter would personify Fiat as no one had ever done before, both being considered as the same entity. It was a family business, it is true, but even so the identity bond was very strong.
Until then, the livelier of the Riviera, as he was also known, he established himself as the playboy he would be until his death. In particular, apart from her way of behaving and the attraction she exerted on the opposite sex, she has transcended her way of dressing, impeccable and slightly eccentric. To this day he is still an icon in the world of fashion.
And it seems that Gianni Agnelli was successful, both personally and professionally.
Even so, in addition to the prompt death of his father, he had to face other misfortunes: his son Edoard committed suicide in 2000, throwing himself into the void from a bridge in Turin; and his Dolphin, Giovanni Alberto, son of his brother Umberto, died in 1997 as a result of a rare cancer.
[su_youtube_advanced https=»yes» url='https://youtube.com/watch?v=o7sFH6GP-CQ' ]
Finally, it is worth noting that the death of L 'Avvocato Gianni Agnelli perhaps meant the beginning of a new era for Italian society, as reflected in The Confidential:
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His bohemian youth, his friendships with national and international high society and his leading role in Italian industrial developmentalism made him a magnet for public attention. "Il Avvocato" and his people were during the second half of the XNUMXth century the unofficial royal family of Italy. The Agnellis, with their patriarch, their wealth, their enormous influence and their misfortunes, have been the mirror in which many Italians have liked to look at themselves. The first to Silvio Berlusconi, who boasted of having a photo in the company of the Fiat boss in his bedroom. The passing of the baton as the country's most recognized businessman from "Il Avvocato" to "Il Cavaliere" exemplifies the profound change that Italy has undergone in recent decades.
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• Images of the exhibition "Le Auto dell´Avvocato", of the National Automobile Museum of Turin, courtesy of Fiat
• Vintage image of Lingotto by L. Francesetti, courtesy of Dgtmedia - SimOne
• Video: 1962 RAI interview, Italian public television, uploaded to Youtube by user Nik8888olas2
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