Franco Scaglione

Francesco “Franco” Scaglione, born in Florence on September 26, 1916, and passed away in Suvereto on June 19, 1993, was an Italian designer, specializing in automotive design.

He was born to Vittorio Scaglione, a medical officer in the army, and Giovanna Fabbri, a captain of the Red Cross, into a wealthy family of ancient noble origin. At the age of six, he and his younger brother Eugenio lost their father. His early hobbies included reading, tennis, horseback riding, and rowing. Scaglione initially pursued studies in the humanities but later enrolled in aeronautical engineering. He served as a second lieutenant in the Pontieri Engineering Corps during his military service. When World War II broke out, he volunteered for the Genio Guastatori and was captured by the Western Desert Force in December 1941. He was held as a prisoner of war in India until the end of 1946, returning to Italy in late December of that year. He spent nearly a year recovering from the trauma of captivity at his mother’s home in Carolei, near Cosenza, after losing his brother Eugenio in the war.

Determining that it was too late to finish his engineering studies, Scaglione decided to pursue his talent for drawing. In early 1948, he moved to Bologna, where he was employed as a fashion illustrator for a well-known tailoring company. His successful designs allowed him to marry Maria Luisa Benvenuti, with whom he had a daughter, Giovanna.

Scaglione had a deep passion for car design, and during his free time, he created automotive sketches with bold and imaginative lines. He sent these sketches to numerous renowned coachbuilders in Lombardy and Piedmont. While his designs initially received little recognition, one notable exception was Battista Farina, who invited him for an interview and offered him a chance to collaborate.

In April 1951, Scaglione moved to Turin and worked briefly at Pininfarina but struggled to establish a strong artistic connection due to his admiration for the legendary coachbuilder, which made him feel intimidated. After leaving Pininfarina, Scaglione worked with Giovanni Michelotti for a short time, designing some models for Carrozzeria Balbo.

Eventually, Scaglione joined Bertone, where his project for a Fiat-Abarth 1500 Biposto was selected by Carlo Abarth. The car gained significant attention at the auto shows and was purchased by the Packard company in the United States as a prototype. This partnership led to the creation of legendary cars such as the Alfa Romeo “Giulietta Sprint” and the “Sprint Speciale.”

However, in 1959, following a disagreement that escalated into a dispute, Scaglione parted ways with Bertone and began working independently. This marked the beginning of his involvement in several projects, including the Lamborghini 350 GTV, the ATS 2500 GT, Prince Motors’ Japanese models, Titania, and various models for Intermeccanica such as the Apollo, Torino, Italia, Indra, IMX, and Murena.

In 1967, Scaglione designed the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, widely considered one of the most beautiful sports cars ever designed. Following the bankruptcy of Intermeccanica, which caused him to lose much of his savings, Scaglione withdrew from the automotive design world, disillusioned by the experience.

In 1981, he moved to Suvereto, a small town in the province of Livorno, where he lived a secluded life in a historic building in the town’s main square. Diagnosed with lung cancer in July 1991, Scaglione passed away two years later, in 1993.