Italian racing driver Vicky Piria is no stranger to the Geneva Motor Show, but she still felt the need for a little help to find “the perfect outfit” for the occasion.
Enter Italian actor Francesco Mandelli – her sparring partner from Pirelli's 2018 Geneva outing – who this time is masquerading as an assistant at the luxury clothing and tailoring brand Larusmiani. Amid the marbled halls of its Milan boutique, he manages to equip Piria with a stylish pilot suit, but her eye is really on a set of P Zero tyres custom-made for a limited edition Lancia Delta Futurista, which she then drives out of the Via Monte Napoleone store.
It's a light-hearted way to kick off Pirelli's presence at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, where the company will be focussing on its legendary P Zero range of custom-made tyres. Its stand will be modelled on the concept of P Zero World stores that have now opened in Los Angeles, Munich, Monte Carlo and, most recently, Dubai. It is 30 years since P Zero tyres were first seen at Geneva on the wheels of an Alfa Romeo Sprint Zagato – although the tyre was actually launched two years earlier – and Pirelli is celebrating its ongoing association with this, one of the world's foremost motor shows.
A history of excellence
Custom-made P Zero tyres have graced the wheels of a long line of motoring greats at Geneva – from the Lamborghini Diablo in 1990 to the road version of the Ferrari 360 Challenge in 2003. In 2011 the Pagani Huayra appeared, shod with its own P Zero Corsa – the tyre designed specifically for driving on the track. Other members of the P Zero family are Road – for general road driving – R, designed to cope with track driving and the road journey to the track, and now Winter to cope with seasonal conditions. P Zero Winter makes its debut at Geneva 2019 and will be available later in the year.
Each P Zero tyre is designed with the individual manufacturer to optimise the unique performance of the specific car model concerned. They can also be customised with Pirelli's specialist technologies including Run Flat, which enables drivers with a puncture to continue driving for up to 80km even with a flat tyre, Seal Inside – self-sealing tyres that repair themselves – and the Pirelli Noise Cancelling System (PNCS), which uses sound-absorbent materials to reduce the noise heard inside a car produced by the interaction between the road surface and the rubber.
Hence the concept of “the perfect fit”. And now – with the addition of P Zero Winter – the metaphor can be extended to “the perfect outfit” to suit any occasion.
Tailor made
There's no better example than the focus of Piria's attention – the Lancia Delta Futurista. Limited to a run of just 20 cars, this reworking of the Lancia Delta HF Integrale comes from Automobili Amos. The company was set up by Italian racing driver and car collector Eugenio Amos specifically to make the car, which was unveiled at the Grand Basel car show in September 2018 and of course has its own custom-made P Zero tyres.
“Perfect,” as shop assistant Mandelli says at the end of the one-minute video, which sees him also changing into a pilot suit – part of a capsule collection created by Larusmiani for the occasion and branded with this unique pairing: Larusmiani for Automobili Amos. Other items in the collection include driving gloves, embroidered T-shirts and even a helmet bag in Alcantara – the suede-like fabric that graced the seats of the original Lancia Delta Integrale.
The film ends with Piria heading off to Geneva and inviting Mandelli to join her. We can expect them to bring us more video adventures as they explore the concept of “The Perfect Outfit” in the halls of the motor show.
