There are industrial partnerships, and then there are bonds that go beyond business. The relationship between Itala and Pirelli belongs to the latter category, beginning long before the concept of “partnership” even existed in the business vocabulary. It began in 1907, on a route no automobile had ever travelled before, between China and France.
On January 31st of that year, the French newspaper Le Matin issued a challenge to the world: “Is there anyone willing to travel, next summer, from Peking to Paris by automobile?” Forty teams initially signed up, but when the race began on 10 June 1907, at 8 a.m., only five crews appeared at the starting line in Beijing — among them, an Itala 35/45 HP.
Riding in the Itala were Prince Scipione Borghese, his mechanic Ettore Guizzardi, and Corriere della Sera journalist Luigi Barzini. And there were Pirelli tyres. That was no coincidence: the Pirelli-equipped Itala had been prepared with extraordinary care. The fenders had been transformed into removable planks to serve as ramps for climbing over obstacles, and — against the conventions of the time — the car used front and rear tyres of the same size, making them interchangeable and reducing the need for spares.
The Itala's 40 horsepower engine enabled the Italian crew to conquer the harshest sections of the route without sacrificing speed and dominate the competition. The Contal tricycle failed to cross the Gobi Desert, the De Dion-Bouton cars finished third and fourth, while the Spyker came in second — twenty days behind. The triumphant arrival in Paris on August 10th, nearly a month ahead of the second team, became legend. And with it, Pirelli tyres became world famous.
For Pirelli, it marked the company's first major international motorsport triumph. From that moment on, the names Pirelli and Itala remained forever intertwined in the history of world motoring.
More than a century later, history is being rewritten
The Itala brand has now been reborn, and its first new model — the Itala 35 — was unveiled at MAUTO, the National Automobile Museum in Turin, opposite the legendary Itala 35/45 HP that astonished the world in 1907. The new model inherits the name of that icon.
The new Itala 35 “cross-styler” is a compact crossover SUV measuring 4.41 metres in length. Under the bonnet lies a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 170 hp and 270 Nm of torque, paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive.
The exterior design was entrusted to Italdesign, while the interiors, electronics, suspension setup, and braking system were developed in-house with the involvement of leading Italian automotive specialists. Inside the cabin, the atmosphere is distinctly premium, thanks to the extensive use of leather sourced from Italian tanneries and Alcantara materials produced and upholstered in Italy, alongside a technology package featuring a 10.25-inch display. The styling stands out through a large chrome-detailed grille, full LED headlights, and an openable panoramic roof framed by gloss-black pillars that create an elegant two-tone effect.
P Zero: a choice that goes beyond engineering
In this thoroughly Italian rebirth, the choice of tyres could never be left to chance. The new vehicle is fitted with P Zero tyres — part of the Pirelli family whose DNA connects directly to the company's deep connection with motorsport.
A connection that was born, fittingly, with Itala in 1907.
