Pininfarina fuses 1930s style with modern technology to produce bespoke bicycle

Italian car and coach-building firm Pininfarina has combined materials used inside 1930s vehicles with current technologies to produce a limited-edition bicycle

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Famous for creating luxury tailor-made cars for manufacturers including Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Maserati, Pininfarina worked with bicycle maker 43 Milano to create the Fuoriserie bike using a combination of contemporary and classic materials.

The chromed steel tubes forming the bicycle's frame are hand-welded into shape and finished with a walnut briar-root coating, creating a visual reference to luxury wood-lined vehicle interiors emblematic of the 1930s – the decade Pininfarina was founded.

Further references are made to the company's heritage in the design of the handlebars and the seat, which are both formed from interwoven strips of brown leather – also found inside the iconic Lancia Astura Bocca car, designed by Pininfarina in 1936.

A miniaturised electronic engine positioned on the bicycle's rear-wheel cog generates forward-thrusting power, allowing the rider to save energy and cover greater distances.

Pedalling turns the dynamo inside the engine, which generates an electric current that is stored in a battery ready to be deployed by the rider whenever needed.

"Pininfarina Fuoriserie bike is a true Pininfarina project," said chairman Paolo Pininfarina. "It blends our heritage with innovative solutions, it is elegant and exclusive but also highly functional. It's a Fuoriserie with an eco-friendly soul."

Other modern features include LED lighting as well as a "plug-in system" allowing riders to recharge their mobile phones whilst on the move.

The bike will be produced in a limited run of 30 units. Pininfarina is also set to unveil its interior designs for Eurostar trains later on this week.

from  dezeen