On the occasion of the Concorso d’Eleganza Pininfarina, Paolo Pininfarina was joined by friend and owner of Bovet & Dimier, Pascal Raffy. The two men share the same taste for mechanical genius, aesthetic refinement and the preservation of heritage. This shared quest for excellence drove the two men to create a fine timepiece collection that has been enchanting collectors for the past five years. Unveiled in 2010, the Ottanta Tourbillon – developed and manufactured by Bovet – was chosen at the time by Pininfarina to celebrate 80 years of exceptional design.
Pininfarina and Bovet welcomed collectors from around the world to exhibit both classic and sports vehicles covering more than eight decades of automobile legend. The sophistication of prestigious bodywork and the elegance of the cars’ gracious drivers who came to present them, were surrounded by the lavish decor of the 17th century Valentino Castle.
A jury of eminent design experts was assembled to present the competition’s various awards. Among them featured names such as Flavio Manzoni, Director of Design at Ferrari, and Karim Habib, Chief Designer at BMW, as well as representatives from specialty auto design publications. In addition, Pascal Raffy had the honor of being named President of the jury by the House of Pininfarina.
Mr. Gino Coen and his spectacular Cisitalia 202 from 1947 took home the Bovet Award for the Most Elegant Car, presented by Pascal Raffy himself. The owner of Bovet also Pascal Raffy gave the Best in Show Award to Mr. Corrado Lo Presto for his Lancia Florida I from 1955.
In addition to the many jewels of automobile history for Pininfarina, lovers of elegance and mechanical brilliance were given the opportunity to discover the five timepieces in the current Bovet by Pininfarina collection. Three tourbillons and two chronographs illustrate the common vision of the two Houses in defining the most beautiful expression of time, consistent with the finest tradition.
