In 1935, while the Detroit Tigers were in the midst of earning their first World Series title thanks to one of the best offensive infields in baseball, an Italian-born Parisian car designer met an Italian businessman and changed automotive history.
Giuseppe Figoni apprenticed as a carriage builder at just 14, before leaving to fight in World War I. When he returned to France, he established his own coachbuilding company and experienced mild success building conventionally-designed bodies for Bugatti, Alfa Romeo and Renault. But in 1935 Figoni partnered with Ovideo Falaschi, and Falaschi’s business acumen and financial support facilitated Figoni’s burgeoning creativity.