When cars become art
04/16/2013
Almost exactly 40 years ago, Road & Track reported on a new addition to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in its April 1973 issue. Pininfarina had presented a 1946 Cisitalia GT coupé to museum curator Emilio Ambasz for the permanent exhibition. He paid tribute to the design milestone with the following words:
"Its aerodynamic lines and subtle charisma have had a strong influence on car production. It is still the best example of a car body consisting of an integral shell - a continuously changing topological surface ... The tension of the metal skin, which is pulled tightly over the chassis, results in a constant dynamic movement, even when the car is stationary."
Even today, the Cisitalia 202 is still regarded as one of the undisputed design masterpieces.
Incidentally, this was not the first time that a Cisitalia had been in the MoMA, as the beautiful coupé had already spent time in the museum with seven other vehicles in 1951 as part of a temporary exhibition in recognition of the designers' achievements.
