Girls and gull-wings at Geneva

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With the Geneva Motor Show in full swing this weekend, you may have come across photographs of exotic cars with lovely girls standing next to them in the last couple of days. But finding back photographs of old Geneva shows with prom queens proves not as easy as you may think. Oh yes, there are plenty of 1970s and 1980s shots available, a few of a decade earlier too. But putting lady models next to car models was clearly something not done in the 1950s (please do prove us wrong if you can).

And so we have to do with this photograph of a lady, a visitor of the show we think, at the 1957 Geneva Motor Show. She’s not the kind of type for the car on which the photographer is focussing here: the Abarth 750 Goccia, but is clearly interested in the vehicle next to it (another Vignale design?). The strange little creature on her left was designed by Michelotti under Vignale in order to beat the wind. It was even named after a drop of water – goccia - relating to its aerodynamic shape. With Abarth's expertise in tuning engines and Vignale’s take on experimental aerodynamic coach building you’d think this was a mix that would stir up the motoring world. But remarkably, no attempt to market the Goccia was made, although three of them materialized. The first of them is shown here and featured gull-wing doors, while the other two came with conventional doors. They were used for motor sports extensively, even did the Targa Florio and Mille Miglia. At least one of the two later cars survived and is used regularly in rallies, but the gull-wing Geneva car seen here..?

(Words editor, picture PWC archive)

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