JULY  2000

In July 2000, STOLA s.p.a. was contacted for a second time, by Joe Bonacchi and the purchasing office of the Ford style center in Dearborne.
The work that was presented was complex and challenging, the construction of a prototype for the luxurious Lincoln brand whose clay style models were to be provided by Ghia of Turin.
This project was an opportunity to meet two important directors of the Ford group: J Mays and Gerry Mcgovern, along with many other excellent designers including Adriana Monk, Marek Reichman and Per Selvag.

June 2000 the first drawings of the Lincoln by Marek Reichman and Adriana Monk.

Rivoli September 2000 Gerry Mcgovern and Per Selvag.

Rivoli ottobre 2000 Adriana Monk e Marek Reichman.Whilst Ghia created the style models, a production Lincoln Town was shipped from Detroit so that Felice Chiara could start the macro feasibility for cutting the car.
In September, the refined clay models of the exterior and interior arrived from Ghia, whose design and work by Reichman and Monk, and so at Stola, work began on the construction of the prototype.
The objective was the New York International Motor Show which opened to the press on 10 April 2001, the name chosen for this Lincoln concept was the Mercury MK9.
Ford's A.D,Bill Ford, had already extended an invitation to 500 journalists for April 9 for a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria where the MK9 would be presented.

Rivoli October 2000 Felice Chiara

Rivoli October 2000 Felice Chiara and Giuseppe Gammicchia.

Rivoli October 2000 A. Mulargia, A. Spitaleri, F, Cerva, F. Chiara and G. Simeone.Rivoli October 2000 B. Comollo, L. Giarolo and Mulargia.

Rivoli October 2001. A. Mulargia R. Tartaglia, A. Bonetto, G. Simeone, B. Comollo and F. Sansalone

Rivoli October 2000 B. Comollo and Adriana Monk.Rivoli November 2000 Maria Paola Stola and Joe Bonacchi.

Rivoli November 2000 Gerry Mcgovern and Joe Bonacchi.

J. Mays Global Director of the Style Centers of the eight brands of the Ford group in the year 2000Unexpectedly, at the end of September, Ford 's j Mays requested a meeting in Rivoli with Mr. Stola without any explanation as to why.
The meeting took place in the green room on the directors floor, Ford directors were accompanied by Filippo Sapino A.D. of the Ghia of Turin.
J Mays explained that Ford had decided to close its historic Italian style center, their request was to ask Stola to hire 8 of their men from the model and prototype department.
Work in that period was not lacking (the fateful 11th September was yet to arrive 10 months later) , to convince Roberto and Alfredo Stola, Mays was ready with a full program of work for the Rivoli modellers.

Rivoli November 2000 Giuseppe Gammicchia.

Rivoli November 2000 M. Vai, L. Rossetti, F. Chiara
and L. Curbis.

Rivoli January 2001 From behind Beppe Comollo and Pasqualino Procopio.

Rivoli March 2001 Lucio Giarolo and Alfredo Stola.Rivoli March 2001 Claudio Nardiello.

Gerry Mcgovern jokes with Alfredo Stola.

Rivoli March 2001 A. Spitaleri, Mammone, L. Giarolo, J. Bonacchi, G. McGovern and L. Curbis are recognized.

Rivoli March 2001 F. Cerva and F. Chiara.Rivoli March 2001 D'Alessio and G. Grande.

In this meeting, Sapino, A.D. of Ghia, expressed that in this difficult situation he would be happy to know that his best men would continue work with STOLA s.p.a.
Roberto Stola's positive decision was sealed with handshakes, all of J Mays' promises were respected and the Ghia staff would prove to be of great skill.
The Rivoli modellers were enriched by the arrival of Bettino Vinci, Emilio Serra, Emilio Zanoni, Gianfranco Roberi, Francesco Acquaviva and in particular Sergio Prodan and Giovanni Longo.
The first immediately became deputy to Lucio Giarolo, leader of the styling models and show cars department, the second, in 2003, assumed the position of Felice Chiara as head of show cars after his retirement.
Having Prodan and Longo in management positions proved positive to both their colleagues and their customers.

Rivoli late September 2000. Sergio Prodan with the white jersey joins the Stola team. From left Lucio Giarolo, Gioachino Grande, Sergio Prodan and Franco Cerva at the coffee machine on the first floor "style models and show cars".

Turin April 2001 Official photos of the Lincoln MK9 before leaving for New York.

Meeting the agreed delivery date of the MK9 did not prove easy, the first cargo plane booked was missed and the second arrived in New York only 10 hours before the dinner booked by Bill Ford for the 500 journalists.
This was possible thanks to the understanding of Alitalia, who were willing to delay take off by 12 hours.
To make sure everything was under control, the Stolas asked Gioachino Grande, and Beppe Comollo, to fly immediately to New York in order to assist with every stage of the prototype's transit, from the customs center of Kennedy Airport to placement in the banquet hall of the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
Ford's Joe Bonacchi also teamed up with Grande and Comollo during the flight to the United States.

Malpensa 7 April 2001 The Alitalia MD11 cargo 30 minutes before take-off.

New York The Waldorf Astoria hotel on Park Avenue.Bill Ford

New York April 2001 The MK9 exhibited in the Lincoln stand.

4 June 2001 A very appreciated letter of congratulations to Stola s.p.a with double signature from J. Mays and Gerry McGovern, among the top design leaders of the Ford group.