The Advent of Mass Motorisation
Pirelli left the world of racing in 1957 to focus on road tyres, so that it could meet the needs of the nascent mass motorisation. The price list reflected the segmentation of the automotive market, with the Rolle for the Fiat 600, the Cisa for the Fiat 500, and the Sempione for the Fiat 1800. In the 1950s, also Borrani diversified its production, with new rims for lower-end cars: the “Cabo” wheel (taking its name from the founder’s initials) for the Fiat 500, 1100, 1400 and 1500, now featured disks in place of spokes and a chrome-plated hub cap that could be customised with the car manufacturer’s logo (also in a sports version, with the Rudge Whitworth quick assembly system).
The 1960s brought a new revolution to the world of tyres: the age of the traditional cross-ply tyre came to an end and the radial era arrived. Pirelli launched the Cinturato, which was patented in 1951, specially designed for sports users who preferred grip and speed over “comfort”. It was initially recommended for sport touring cars and high-powered saloons, such as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, the Lancia Aurelia B20, and the Fiat 8V. For these cars, Borrani perfected its Turbo wheels, with the sport version in light alloy and the normal in steel. The Cinturato was soon adopted by all segments of the market and became the tyre of mass motorisation – while continuing to be used on sports cars, such as the Lamborghini Miura, the ISO Grifo, the Maserati Ghibli, and the Alfa Romeo Junior Zeta. This time it was Ugo Mulas, another great name in photography, who created an advertising campaign for Simplon and Cinturato tyres, with young people shown alongside cars fitted, of course, with Pirelli tyres. It was the beginning of a long journey, in a world that was increasingly on the move.
Pirelli left the world of racing in 1957 to focus on road tyres, so that it could meet the needs of the nascent mass motorisation. The price list reflected the segmentation of the automotive market, with the Rolle for the Fiat 600, the Cisa for the Fiat 500, and the Sempione for the Fiat 1800. In the 1950s, also Borrani diversified its production, with new rims for lower-end cars: the “Cabo” wheel (taking its name from the founder’s initials) for the Fiat 500, 1100, 1400 and 1500, now featured disks in place of spokes and a chrome-plated hub cap that could be customised with the car manufacturer’s logo (also in a sports version, with the Rudge Whitworth quick assembly system).
The 1960s brought a new revolution to the world of tyres: the age of the traditional cross-ply tyre came to an end and the radial era arrived. Pirelli launched the Cinturato, which was patented in 1951, specially designed for sports users who preferred grip and speed over “comfort”. It was initially recommended for sport touring cars and high-powered saloons, such as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint, the Lancia Aurelia B20, and the Fiat 8V. For these cars, Borrani perfected its Turbo wheels, with the sport version in light alloy and the normal in steel. The Cinturato was soon adopted by all segments of the market and became the tyre of mass motorisation – while continuing to be used on sports cars, such as the Lamborghini Miura, the ISO Grifo, the Maserati Ghibli, and the Alfa Romeo Junior Zeta. This time it was Ugo Mulas, another great name in photography, who created an advertising campaign for Simplon and Cinturato tyres, with young people shown alongside cars fitted, of course, with Pirelli tyres. It was the beginning of a long journey, in a world that was increasingly on the move.
