Last week, unusual horses paraded down the streets of Saratoga Springs for the annual Ferrari [2]Festival. The rally is a popular event among owners of the famous Italian sports car; an event during which they had a chance to showcase to thousands of visitors rare models like the Ferrari 575 GT Zagato- one of the six existing exemplars in the world. 

During this edition of the Festival the organizers celebrated Alfa Romeo [3]'s 100 years exhibiting cars produced before and after the war. Among those the Alfa Romeo BAT11 Design Study, which incited unprecedented interest.

Although the acronymous BAT stands for Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica, the bodywork design bears an incredible resemblance to the exaggerated wings of a bat. The BAT11, which is truly reminiscing of a Bat-mobile, contains a series of aerodynamics studies done by the design consultancy and engineering studio Zagato.

A multi-color snake of rumbling vehicles speeded through the secondary roads and turns, which connect Saratoga Springs to Lake George, leaving behind a gaze-catalyzing trail for all the spectators gathered on the side of the road.

Andrea, heir to the celebrated Zagato studio [4], illustrated for the American public the history of the Italian influence in the world of design. Along with him were two other influential names of the Made in Italy, Piero Rivolta and Jason Castriotta, who represent generations of design(ers) for Zagato, Bertone, and Pininfarina. The ex-race-driver Luigi Chinetti Jr. was also part of the event, on behalf of the North America Racing Team he commissioned Zagato a series of studies on Ferrari.

Andrea Zagato is the head of the eminent Milanese design studio, which he inherited from his grand-father Ugo, and which celebrated 90 years of activity. During the seminar "Heritage of Italian Design," he recollected how the family business started using aircraft industry construction techniques to make light weight cars.

The last jewel bearing the Zagato signature, brought to Lake George to receive its Christening among the American public, is called Perana Z-One, a rich purple model which catalyzed the attention of the aficionados of the Milanese firm.

The new Zagato car caught the eye of classic and contemporary cars collectors, who flocked to the annual Ferrari gathering from both the US and Canada.  The Z-One is the first car born from the collaboration between the Italian auto body firm and the automobile manufacturer Perana, with headquarter in Port Elizabeth- South Africa.  Assembled in a limited number of models, the Z-One commemorates 90 years of activity of the Zagato studio; it is available for purchase for 80 thousand dollars.

A must-have for those who, like one of the participants, already have a fleet of cars, often kept in hangar-size garages, by the biggest names in the business. One of these names is obviously, Zagato, which styled the latest Alfa Romeo super car, the 8C Spider. Produced in limited numbers (500 exemplars), the BC Spider has already 35 reserved American buyers.  The celebrated Zagato signature is also on the Ferrari 458, the first Ferrari model with a top speed over 200 mph (62 mph in 3.4 seconds).

Behind the name Zagato is a design revolution that has characterized the Italian car style since the beginning of the 1900 to these days. The design studio, in fact, was able to adopt aircraft industry construction techniques in order to make light weight and aerodynamic cars.

From the post war years on, Zagato's auto bodies have been worn by Ferrari and Maserati, but also Fiat, Lancia, Abarth, Alfa Romeo and recently by Aston Martin and Bentley, two foreign automobile manufacturers unable to resist the Milanese design's appeal. 

Two models were showcased in Saratoga Springs. An 8 million dollars price tag for the convertible Aston Martin produced for the ever-sunny Californian market. Only 99 the exemplars which the affluent collectors had to fight for.

Andrea Zagato inaugurated the new factory adjacent to that of Alfa Romeo, allowing him the realization of limited series such as the Alfa TZ and SZ, confirming, it was ever necessary, his leadership design role of a vast array of products.

On the field of the Art Center, admiring classic and current Ferraris, along with Musella there was also Luigi Chinetti Jr, a walking myth himself.  Luigi grew up living a dream, son of Luigi Chinetti Sr, whose name in the America in synonymous with Ferrari. In 1946, he was the pioneer dealer of Ferrari in the US; he was the winner of The 24 Hours of Le Mans and Daytona, just to mention a few. Competition and passion for engines a part, in some Ferrari there is also the professional intervention of Luigi Chinetti Motors, which curated with Zagato some bodywork.

(Translated by Alice Bonvicini)