JEvery other country, every other brand would have held an opening ceremony. Italy celebrated it. With dignitaries in uniform, the mayoress of Turin, heirs of the dynasty, high up on the Lingotto helipad. The imposing plant, together with the working-class district that has arisen around it, represents the beginnings and upswing of Fiat, created in 1923 by Giovanni Agnelli, now too small and expanded, now outdated and closed. In 1982 the last new car rolled off the assembly line here, a Lancia Delta, already richer in the past than in the future.
To enumerate the highs, but above all the lows, of Fiat is a hopeless endeavor. The Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino abbreviation was sometimes translated as “error in all parts”. Hejte, the brand belongs to Stellantis, a contour-free conglomerate that unites companies such as Peugeot, Citroën, Jeep and Opel under its economically optimized umbrella. And Fiat with its fine sisters Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Maserati. Their birthplaces have long been in more modern places, where the bodies are built with photovoltaics and circular economy instead of sweat and muscle power.
Sales could be better, but the appeal of a Cinquecento is still big enough to keep an entire house afloat. “I don’t just sell cars, I sell Italian dolce vita. It’s lively, emotional, and sometimes loud, ”says CEO Olivier François. In the end it was of course quiet, Corona robbed it of its development, but it still exists and wants to get out again. And upwards, also in a figurative sense.
Lingotto hosts a specialty. A 1.2 kilometer long test track runs on its roof, with two confident straights and two imposing banked curves. 90 km / h were allowed. A car has never fallen off the roof, the Italians assert, and one has heard of it. New cars were run in, prototypes were tested protected from prying eyes, wonderfully unique, probably terribly inefficient. Instead of letting the route deteriorate on the industrial building, which is now fairly populated by a shopping center and a hotel, a work of art has now been created. 40,000 plants line the deck, in the middle of which there is a track on which electric Fiat 500s and scooters can be tested by anyone.
Europe’s largest hanging garden has been created, says Ginevra Elkann, great-granddaughter of the founder and administrator of the Pinacoteca Agnelli, which is also located there. Most of the plants come from Piedmont, they are selected for their beauty and resilience. They should withstand blazing sun and strong winds and use as little water as possible, growing rapidly. Sustainability is a central idea, school children like to feel, smell and paint botany. “Flora in all parts” is perhaps a permitted reference. In fact, the project is called La Pista 500. And if you think a little about the High Line in New York while strolling 28 meters above the ground, you will not be rejected.
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