With elegant lines and racy elegance, the renowned Italian design studio “Pininfarina” has been enriching the automotive world with extravagant designs for almost 95 years.

The story of Pininfarina began in 1930 when its founder, Battista “Pinin” Farina, dedicated himself to the design and details of limited-edition luxury sports cars. The Turin-based car body builder became famous primarily for its work for Ferrari, but in total, Pininfarina designed over 1,200 vehicles – from sports cars to compact cars. ADAM spoke with chief designer Dave Amantea about the challenges of design, and groundbreaking developments, in the age of electric mobility.

ADAM: You’ve received numerous awards in recent years. I assume it’s going well for you?
Dave Amantea: The awards are a great honour and at the same time bring with them the responsibility to live up to the Pininfarina name.

What is the significance of electri-
fication for Automobili Pininfarina?
The electric age has just begun, and the best is yet to come. Electrification allows us to set new design standards and pioneer new innovations. The “Battista” is the first Italian electric hypercar to be homologated, featuring cutting-edge technologies and a captivating silhouette that at the same time honours Pininfarina’s heritage. This car is already an icon, and expectations are accordingly high.

Can one already speak of an icon after just a few years?
A car becomes iconic not only through its design, but also through its per-
formance, innovation, and exclusivity. With almost 2,000 hp and world-leading technology, the Battista is unique – and limited to just 150 units.

What would the founding father Battista “Pinin” Farina say if he could see his namesake car?
I hope he’d say “WOW,” and I think he’d look down on us and our design with pride. He was a visionary, and his 1959 prediction that cars would free themselves from the internal combustion engine has now become reality.

What significance does the Battista have for the company?
As the most powerful Italian car ever produced, it is the first model to bear the Automobili Pininfarina name. The Battista symbolises our motto: “Dream Cars. Made Real”.

What advantages does the design of an electric car offer compared to a combustion engine?
The architecture of an electric car offers greater freedom to create a perfect silhouette and a low centre of gravity. Our goal is to combine beauty and technical excellence.

In 2023, Automobili Pininfarina unveiled three cars!
It was a spectacular year with the unveiling of the Battista Edizione Nino Farina, the B95 Barchetta, and the design concept of “PURA Vision.” The Battista connects us to the present, while PURA Vision defines the future.

What is behind the concept of “PURA Vision”?
It is the essence of timeless design, inspired by iconic Pininfarina vehicles of the past. Our goal was to create a clean, elegant design language that will shape future models.

What was the response to the B95 at Monterey Car Week?
Fantastic! It was exciting to see how enthusiastically the audience and press reacted. The bold presentation was exactly the right step.

Where did the inspiration for the B95 come from?
We combined the spirit of an open-top Le Mans racer from the 1960s with the futuristic design of modern F1 cars. The model was also inspired by Pininfarina classics such as the Maserati Birdcage 75th, Ferrari Testarossa Lamelles, Pininfarina Abarth Prototype, Pura Vision, and Battista.

What challenges need to be overcome to maintain the lead over the competition?
We need to take risks and drive innovation. Developing an electric hypercar with nearly 2,000 hp is an enormous challenge, but essential for our future.

Will Automobili Pininfarina target other vehicle categories in the future?
Yes, but step by step. Nevertheless, we want to preserve our “Pininfarina soul” and focus on exclusive small series.

You were named by Bloomberg as one of only 50 people on Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2023 “Ones to Watch” list. Your thoughts on that?
It is a great honour and a testament to the hard work of my team.

How are future design trends recognised?
With vision, intuition, and a dash of luck. You have to look at the world from different perspectives and understand how people want to live in the future.

Which car impressed you the most in your childhood?
A Ferrari Testarossa, which as a child was the object of my wonder. It was love at first sight!

Is Pininfarina the reason you became a car designer?
Yes, definitely! I was born in Turin, embraced the principles of the Pininfarina school, and now work as chief designer for Automobili Pininfarina – it feels like destiny.

And if you hadn’t become a car designer?
I would design futuristic vehicles for Hollywood – no technical limitations, just pure creativity.

Photos Copyrights: © Automobili Pininfarina

Swedish Excellence and the ambition to build the best beds in the world is innate to the people at “Hästens”. The fabulous beds are characterised by natural materials, old-fashioned craftsmanship and the company’s distinctive DNA, the “blue check” pattern.

The world is changing but the dedication to craftsmanship remains. This has been the philosophy at Hästens since its foundation in 1852 and the company has been perfecting its craft for generations in its in-house atelier in Köping, Sweden. The beds are nothing without the established craft and the craft is only as good as those who practice it. Sleep is the most natural thing in the world and this is also the reason why the beds are only manufactured from the same natural materials as in the beginning when the first beds were made: cotton, linen, horsehair and pure wool. Natural materials have a number of advantages for healthy sleep – including the property of supporting and relieving your body so the blood can circulate freely. They simultaneously allow air to circulante around your body, lower the temperature and as such help you to fall asleep quicker and to remain in a state of deep sleep longer.

A work of art in the bedroom
A masterpiece is not the end but a new beginning because at the exact moment when a bed is completed, work begins on the next bed. At Hästens it never stops and this is the reason why the company is also open to new approaches and creative minds of our time driven by inspiration. What would we create if an architect designed a bed or we would take our inspiration from the world of Haute Couture? Or perhaps a designer who is inspired by different cultures from throughout the world? Legendary designs are not achieved by sitting around idly, but by working together on a highly creative level.

Bed manufacture broke new ground when the Canadian designer Ferris Rafauli Wege presented a bed which ranked as one of the most exclusive beds in the world – the Grand Vividus. Rafauli, who is known globally for his innovative projects for luxury apartments, wanted to improve the design of the most comfortable bed in the world, by making it an architectonic statement that would transform any bedroom into a splendid and opulent chamber. With its finest leather, polished wood, nubuck and brass decoration and its elegant architectural lines, the Grand Vividus is showcased as a work of art and majestic focus of every bedroom.

In a world full of dreamers
«It is the master of ultimate luxury. There is no-one who presents the traditions we have at Hästens better than Rafauli», claims Jan Ryde, CEO and fifth generation owner of Hästens. On the occasion of the 170 anniversary of the company this year, the collaboration with Rafauli was continued and a new chapter began in the Hästens history, which is dedicated to the «drēmǝr». Drēmǝr are inspiring people who do more than just dream and lead a conventional life. They are conscious of their inner greatness and make their dreams, both small and large, come true. This is the impetus for the drēmǝr being launched on the market on the day of the anniversary and is simultaneously intended to embody six generations of dreams, achievements, excellence, mission and mastery for the traditional company. Of course this bed was also manufactured with meticulous craftsmanship and completed with unique textiles designed by Ferris Rafauli – the same material used for the Grand Vividus. Rafauli’s basic principle is simple and goes like this, «creations should be timeless but still correspond to our time. My designs play with and arouse the senses in their opulence and extravagance, but remain classical and formal».

Photos Copyrights: Hästens