Louwman Museum acquires extraterrestrial Pininfarina X

For some months now, a very special car has been on display in the museum. It is a one off concept car with a remarkable story.

The space race was the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union to conquer space. It ran roughly from 1957 to 1975 and includes both nations efforts to explore space with satellites and ultimately to land on the moon with a crewed mission and return safely to Earth.

This also had its effect on everyday life. The most ordinary household items were designed like spaceships. It was no different in the automotive industry, and when the Italian designer and coachbuilder Pininfarina followed this trend, the result was out of this world.

Personally led by Batista "Pinin" Farina and built as part of the factorys scientific research program, this experimental car was given the title "X".

A revolutionary body design and unusual diamond shaped layout of the four wheels resulted in aerodynamics that allowed higher top speeds and lower fuel consumption. The Pininfarina X has an exceptionally low drag coefficient of just 0.23 cd, even by modern standards.

The car is steered by means of the single front wheel, while the two side wheels provide stability. A Fiat 1089 cc engine is mounted at an angle in the rear of the car and drives the single rear wheel. In the photo below you can clearly see that the engine block is positioned at an angle.

The car was unveiled in 1960 at the Motor Show in Turin. After this exhibition, the car was taken back to the factory. Batista "Pinin" then drove the car to various manufacturers to discuss possible mass production of the model with them. However, that never happened, and it remained a one of a kind example!

The car is now back in the same condition as when it was introduced. The simple interior of the 'X', with the beautiful patina of the black leather upholstery, has fortunately been preserved in its original state.