ROME – The troubled election of the President of the Republic, after the reckless amateurs in the fray had risky attempted to sabotage it, tore Sergio Mattarella (adored by the Italian people, less so by the nomenklatura) from the private life he yearned for by recalling him to service. The unfortunate spectacle offered by almost all leaders (with laudable exceptions) must have convinced the President al bis, hoping all of us mere mortals that it will not be grudgingly conceded as it can happen to great actors or exhausted musicians. President Mattarella, on the other hand, will prove to be inexhaustible and good for us to return his wisdom and firm moderation to the Quirinale.
Among other things, the President will have to choose the car with which to parade among cheering citizens and disappointed politicians, and luckily for him and for us, the Quirinale garage offers one of the most magnificent representative cars ever built, still in perfect shape. despite the sixty years and more on the rump: the Lancia Flaminia 335 so-called “Presidential” built in 4 units between 1960 and 1961. These are models with small differences between them, derived from the standard Flaminia produced by Lancia between 1956 and 1970, a model already opulent and “institutional” in itself but which in the case of the 335 was further enlarged and equipped with unique equipment by Giovanni Battista “Pinin Farina, who in those years incorporated the childhood nickname by presidential decree, becoming Pininfarina all attached. On the other hand, it was President Gronchi who commissioned the 4 twins thinking of the imposing American Lincolns, the British Rolls-Royces, the German Mercedes-Benzes, the French Citroën, and it must be said that our Flaminia 335 does not look bad at all next to its rivals, indeed, representing the epitome of the dazzling industrial health of Italy during the boom. The first to be transported there in 1961 is Elizabeth II of England and the sovereign shows to appreciate it to the point of giving birth to the legend of a fifth Flaminia given to the Crown. The Flaminia are but four and all still in efficiency. They bear names of thoroughbreds, as was the custom in the House of Savoy: two are under the Quirinale, the Belvedere (Rome plate 454307) and the Belfiore (Rome 454308). The Belsito (Rome 474229) is on display at the Turin Automobile Museum and the Belmonte (Rome 454306) at the Cecchignola Military Motorization Museum in Rome.
Fascino Flaminia, the 60th anniversary of the President’s car
by Daniele PM Pellegrini
After Giovanni Gronchi (1955-1962) the Flaminia was regularly used by Antonio Segni (1962-1964), Giuseppe Saragat (1964-1971) and Giovanni Leone (1971-1978), while remaining off in the seven years of Sandro Pertini (1978-1985) ) and Francesco Cossiga (1985-1992) in favor of the less exposed (and instead very armored) Alfetta, Lancia Thema, Fiat Croma and above all Maserati Quattroporte. Two copies of the third series were given to Pertini – who loved it! -by Alejandro De Tomaso, then at the head of the group that owned the Modenese brand. In 2004 Maserati, this time led by Luca di Montezemolo, president of the Fiat Group, instead donated a brilliant fifth series to President Ciampi.
Reduced the nightmare of terrorism and possible attacks, the Flaminia returned to vogue thanks to Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (1992-1999) and from that moment on also the following presidents – Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (1999-2006), Giorgio Napolitano ( 2006-2015) and Sergio Mattarella (2015-2022) – have always wanted to use it both for the inauguration ceremony and for the parade on 2 June.
Small personal souvenir. In the summer of 2011 I was shooting a short sequence of the film in the Quirinale square Novel of a massacre. Foreign Minister Aldo Moro went privately to the Quirinale on board his Flavia sedan for Christmas greetings to President Saragat. The action takes place in December 1969. Moro was played by Fabrizio Gifuni and the resemblance, after hours of makeup, was truly impressive. The action took place outside but Fabrizio was recognized by the Quirinale staff, where his father, Gaetano Gifuni, had been Secretary General with both Scalfaro and Ciampi. We were told that the President was in office and that he would receive us. We did not miss the opportunity and went to greet the President who, at the sight of Gifuni in the role of Moro, was quite impressed.
In those days there was the crisis of the Berlusconi government and the President was in the midst of consultations. With the impudence of which I was the first to be surprised, I pointed to Gifuni and proposed to entrust the task to… Moro. For a moment I had the feeling that the President, before smiling, was overwhelmed by nostalgia.
The Quirinale ceased to be the Pope’s residence in 1970 to instead enter the full availability of the House of Savoy. Its stables transformed into modern garages could not accommodate the sumptuous Mercedes Nurburg 460 which was the car of Pius XI together with the Citroën Lictoria Six and the Graham Page also used by Pius XI. The Savoy family instead filled them with the FIAT 2800 and the Lancia Astura which then represented the non plus ultra of Italian production, visible in many LUCE newsreels surrounded by crowds in raptures at the apparitions of the Duce and His Majesty the King and Emperor. These powerful limousines, together with less impressive cars, such as the Lancia Aurelia, the Fiat 1400 and 1900, the Alfa Romeo 1900, accompanied our first first Presidents Enrico De Nicola (1947-1948) and Luigi Einaudi (1948-1955) up to get to Gronchi and Flaminia 335 which still carries out its prestigious service without ailments.