For the first time, one of the major names in Italian car design tells his story from the beginning; from when he made his first sketches on paper, unbeknown to his parents and not only of cars, to reaching a point at which his name became synonymous with some of the best known and most important cars on the international front. In his 23-year career at Pininfarina, Leonardo Fioravanti, who was first a designer and architect, then managing director and director general of 'Studi & Ricerche' department, created some of the most beautiful Ferraris of all time; they ranged from the 1965 250 LM sports coupe Speciale to the immortal 1968 Daytona through to the 1975 308 GTB and GTS and the 1984 288 GTO, as well as the P5 and P6 of 1968. While continuing his Ferrari essay during his Pininfarina career, Fioravanti also guided the creation of numerous other projects, among them the Dino road car, the 1980 Pinin four-door prototype and went on to the 1984 Testarossa and the 1987 F40. He worked for the Fiat Group from 1988 until 1991, during which time he took on the roles of deputy director general of Ferrari, later became responsible for advanced design CRF and then head of the Fiat Styling Centre. In 1987, he founded Fioravanti srl, an architectural studio, and in 1991 he extended his services to industry, in particular the design of means of transport. Images of an epoch, designs from his own personal archive never previously seen and, above all, a passionate first person account. Those are the key elements of this outstanding book which, through the creations of Leonardo Fioravanti, covers over 50 years of the history of automobile style and culture.

Leonardo Fioravanti was born in Milan in 1938. A graduate in mechanical engineering, he worked with Pininfarina for 23 years, where he personally designed some of the most famous Ferraris, until he became the managing director of Pininfarina Studi & Ricerche SpA. From 1988 to 1991 he worked for the Fiat Group, first as deputy director general of Ferrari and managing director of Ferrari Engineering, later becoming responsible for advanced design and CRF; after that he became director responsible for the Fiat Car Styling Centre. In 1987, he founded Fioravanti srl as a studio of architecture and in 1991 he broadened the company's industrial services activity, especially the design of means of transport. He collaborated with the world's most prominent car manufacturers and has registered over 30 international patents, not only in the automotive field.