Edges or curves, long or segmented silhouettes, muscles or light weight: automotive design is so varied that it offers total opposites, but all car designs have one thing in common, namely the pursuit of an emotion to convey through shapes. Design almost becomes the representation of the very soul of mechanics, the garment that covers them and expresses their character. Italy has always been a master in this area.
First with its bodywork technicians: Touring Superleggera, Zagato, Scaglietti, Bertone, Pininfarina, Giugiaro. Today, with the designers or firms that still bear the name of those body workers who have made Italian automotive style an example all over the world. It is no coincidence that some of the most beautiful cars of all time were designed in Italy: someone even applied a scientific method to find the most beautiful ones of all time, using the millenarian concept of golden proportions. The result? Well, 7 out of 10 are indeed Italian: Ferrari Monza SP1, Ferrari 330 GTC Speciale, Ferrari 250 GTO, Ferrari 330 P4, Alfa Romeo Alfetta, Lamborghini Miura, Maserati Indy.
Another example that is once again not a coincidence is the newly-launched Silk Faw, although partly originating in the United States and partly in China, which has chosen to settle in the Motor Valley, precisely to breathe that air that smells of legendary cars and embrace it in its models. Starting with the S9, which made its European début in Milan during Design Week, an event that draws style aficionados from all over the world.
But what is design? “Design is fashion and trend; when it stops in time, it becomes art. Motor Valley and Italian style present in this car demonstrate this” explains, in front of the S9, Tomaso Trussardi, someone who really knows about style. When it comes to the world of cars, Italian design means a very precise concept: “Design is beauty and function, together” explains Piero Misani, Pirelli R&D Manager. In other words, every line, every interruption, every curve and every edge not only have the objective of approaching beauty but also of fulfilling a technical purpose, a function: to improve aerodynamics, to vent high temperatures and accommodate an air intake. Beauty, yes, but not as an end in itself.
THE STYLE OF THE S9, FROM THE BODYWORK TO THE TYRES
It is the Italian - obviously - hand of Walter de Silva that penned the concept of the Hongqi S9, a supercar initially launched as a hybrid and set to become 100% electric. Simplicity and elegance: these are the style strengths of this car, which aims to convey emotions thanks to a unique and sustainable driving experience. It is the result of unwavering research to achieve the point of maximum balance between aerodynamic functionality, proportions and aesthetics.
Dynamic and understated silhouettes characterise the style of the S9, giving rise to plays of light and shadow that enhance the sinuous appearance of the bodywork. The interior design is a reflection of the exterior architecture; the hypercar is distinguished by the sensations and vibrations typical of a new sports car that generate luxury driving satisfaction with a particular focus on comfort and connectivity on board.
Red is the dominant colour of the bodywork, just like the Chinese brand Hongqi and Italian racing cars, a symbolic link between beauty and technology. Its Italianness can also be found in the tyres. The new car will be fitted with P Zero tyres; Pirelli engineers worked on the most appropriate fitting, marked Elect like all tyres for cars with the most modern and environmentally-friendly engines.
