Franco Scaglione (26 September 1916 – 19 June 1993) was an Italian automobile coachwork designer.

Franco on left, with Nuccio Bertone in an Arnolt-Aston Martin DB2/4 in 1953/54
Scaglione is best known for designing Alfa Romeo BAT concept cars

Biography

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Franco Scaglione was born in Florence to Vittorio Scaglione, a chief army doctor, and to Giovanna Fabbri, captain of the Italian Red Cross service. His was a well-to-do family of noble ancestry (count of Martirano San Nicola and of Mottafilocastro). At the age of 6, he and his younger brother became fatherless.
His studies were of humanistic leanings, but he entered the university of Aeronautical Engineering. His favourite hobbies were reading, tennis, riding and rowing. He went into military service with the rank of sub-lieutenant in the sappers, the Genio Pontieri. He continued his studies, but at the outbreak of the Second World War he volunteered to be assigned to a more destructive unit, the Genio Guastatori and was sent to the Libyan front. On Christmas Eve 1941, he was taken prisoner by the British at El Duda, a village to the south of Tobruk. He was to be interned at the Yol detention camp in India, where he remained until the end of 1946. He returned to Italy on Boxing Day that year with the last boat used for the carrying of prisoners. He rejoined his mother (his brother Eugenio was killed during the war) in Carolei, near Cosenza, and stayed with her for almost a year.[1]
At the beginning of 1948 he went to Bologna in search of a job; he already had it in mind to work as a stylist in the automobile field, his real passion. Initially he devoted his time to sketching clothing for fashion houses, which was very profitable, but his vocation was automobile coachwork design. On 25 September 1948 he married Maria Luisa Benvenuti and two years later, on 10 September, his daughter Giovanna was born.
In April, 1951, he moved to Turin, where there were the major coachbuilding firms, and he contacted Battista Farina, who very much appreciated his renderings. However, this did not result in collaboration, as Farina did not allow his models to be linked to the designer's name. He met Nuccio Bertone and finally an association was born, which led him to create automobiles such as the Alfa Romeo B.A.T.s, the Giulietta Sprint and Sprint Speciale and many others. In 1959 he concluded the exclusive relationship with the Bertone coachworks and worked on his own. His first collaboration as a freelancer was with Carlo Abarth and Porsche, and he designed the Porsche 356 B Abarth Carrera GTL, the acclaimed design forerunner of the 911. Then Scaglione conceived the Lamborghini 350 GTV, the ATS 2500 GT, the 1900 Skyline Sprint for the Japanese Prince company (later to merge in 1966 with Nissan), the Titania Veltro GTT, and various models for Intermeccanica such as the Apollo, Torino, Italia GFX, Italia IMX, Indra. In 1967, he designed for Alfa Romeo's Autodelta the legendary Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, said by many to be one of the most beautiful cars ever made.[2] Alas, Intermeccanica became bankrupt and the entrepreneur owner, Frank Reisner, moved to Canada. Franco Scaglione, having put his own savings in the production of the Indra, was disillusioned and retired from work.
In 1981 he moved to Suvereto, a little village in the province of Livorno, where he lived a very secluded life. In July, 1991, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He died two years later.[3]

Designs

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1952

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Abarth 1500 Biposto
 
Lancia Aurelia B53 Balbo 1952

1953

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Arnolt-Bristol 404 spider
 
Arnolt-Aston Martin DB2/4 Spider

1954

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Alfa Romeo 2000 Sportiva

1955

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Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider prototype

1956

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1957

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Jaguar XK150 Coupé Bertone

1958

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NSU Prinz Sport coupé

(Developed from Scaglione design but built in his absence):

  • NSU Prinz Sport spider Wankel (prototype 1960, produced from 1963)

1959

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1960

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1961

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1962

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1963

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Stanguellini-Guzzi Colibrì with Franco Scaglione and Vittorio Stanguellini

1964

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1966

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1967

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Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

1968

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1970

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1971

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1972

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References

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  1. ^ Parker, Johni (2014-07-02). "Franco Scaglione Was the Real BATman". Petrolicious. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  2. ^ "Lista Auto Disegnate". francoscaglione.it (in Italian). Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  3. ^ da Budinoroma » 20 maggio 2009, 18:52. "SoloAlfa.it - Alfa Romeo Forum, Club & Community • Leggi argomento - Biografia Franco Scaglione". Forum.soloalfa.it. Retrieved 2011-04-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "1952 Abarth 1500 Coupe Biposto (Bertone)". carstyling.ru. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "The Italian Influence on American cars, part 3: Sweepspear, Coke bottle and split grilles". hemmings.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Scaglione e Bertone". francoscaglione.it (in Italian). Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  7. ^ "1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 MK1 Spider". automotivemasterpieces.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Ferrari Abarth 166 MM/53 – 1953". ruotevecchie.org (in Italian). 13 October 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  9. ^ "1954 Arnolt-Bristol Bolide Works Roadster by Bertone". rmsothebys.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  10. ^ "1954 Alfa Romeo 2000 Sportiva". automotivemasterpieces.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  11. ^ "The Stars & Cars of Bertone". Road & Track: 78. November 2014.
  12. ^ "1955 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Bertone". automotivemasterpieces.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  13. ^ "1956 Abarth Record (Bertone)". carstyling.ru. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  14. ^ a b "1956 Abarth 750 (Bertone)". carstyling.ru. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  15. ^ "1957 Fiat-Stanguellini 1200 Spider America by Bertone". rmsothebys.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  16. ^ "1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 MK1 Coupé". automotivemasterpieces.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  17. ^ "1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale prototipo Bertone". automotivemasterpieces.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  18. ^ "1959 Maserati 3500 GT Coupe (Bertone)". carstyling.ru. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  19. ^ "1959 OSCA 1500 (Bertone)". carstyling.ru. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  20. ^ "1963 Apollo 3500 GT Coupe by Intermeccanica". rmsothebys.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  21. ^ "The cars that built the legend: Inside Museo Storica Alfa Romeo". carmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
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