FERUARY 2000

In February 2000, the Alfa Romeo Styling Center directed by Walter De Silva, commissioned STOLA s.p.a. to create the styling models of the 156 GTA sedan and sportwagon versions.
It was a complex job for a very small budget and with an extraordinarily short time to market.

Order opening table for the GTA project.

The new parts, in addition to the new bumpers and the side skirts, included obviously enlarged front and rear wings.
Class C surfaces were supplied directly by the Arese Style Center and, after approval of the model by the management of Fiat Auto, they instructed Stola s.p.a. to carry out the complete engineering design.
Giuseppe Di NunnoGiuseppe Di Nunno, a graduate of the 1981/82 modelling course, was appointed project manager by Gottardo Bustreo.
For these two GTA versions, Stola started from standard production bodies going on to produce six prototypes whose final assembly, including the sophisticated mechanics, were carried out by Alfa Romeo themselves.
The two prototypes of the 156 GTA sedan and Sportwagon went on to have their world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in early September 2001.

September 2001 Frankfurt the two 156 GTAs on the Alfa Romeo stand.

APRIL 2000

Rivoli April 200 A. Stola and Nobuyuki Ishihara shake hands after signing the contract.STOLA s.p.a. was already a model supplier for the Honda Style Centers in both Germany and Japan.In April 2000, an unusual job for the two-wheeler sector was started for the Honda Development Research Center in Rome.
It was complex work, a clay model was provided by the Centro Stile of Rome and from that a working prototype was require which would include particularly advanced prototype equipment.

Rivoli April 2000 Just signed the contracts in a souvenir photo. From left Tiziano Novo Tomoyuki Okura, Nobuyuki Ishihara, Alfredo Stola, Bruno Arienti, Carlo Mantovani and Gioachino Grande.

Along with the style model, the Lazio research centre supplied an example of the then current production Honda SH scooter, the Stola technicians used this as a basis to make all the necessary modifications.
Honda wanted a complete and dedicated team for this turnkey project and so it was that Tiziano Novo, Carlo Mantovani, Felice Chiara, Bruno Arienti, and Giochino Grande would manage the project, which was due to be completed at the end of December 2000.

The Honda team with whom the Stola's would work were Nobuyuki Ishihara, Director of the European R&D Center and his assistants Tomoyuki Okura, Ken Yamaguci, Yutaka Kawasaki, Gian Varlo Giliberti Calderon, and Angelo Coletta.
The work included Scanning, engineering, construction of models, molds and detailed assembly studies, all with the final objective of the prototype in mind.
Simultaneously the technicians of the Atessa Italian production plant would verify and check the work.

EARLY SUMMER 2000

The experience of working with for Ferdinand Alexander of Porsche Design in Zell am See on the Cayenne project, between 1999 and 2000, gave rise to the Stola's desire to one day realize a Porsche-based prototype.
At the beginning of the summer of 2000 we received an invitation from Doctor Bruno Alfieri, publisher of Automobilia , to participate at the Triennale of Milan at the exhibition "The most beautiful car in the world", this was too prestigious not to accept.
Alfredo and Roberto Stola decided to start immediately on the construction of a prototype based on the Porsche Boxter type 986 to be presented in Milan, in March 2001. It would be known as S82 Spyder.

October 2000 The drawings of Aldo Brovarone.

A. Stola, F. Secoli and G. Grande. V. Mammone and Trosa

A.Stola, F. Secoli, D. Secoli and Trosa. Trosa and V. Mammone.

Trosa

February 2001 Official photos of the S82 Spyder in the studio taken by Massimo Perini assisted by Teresio Demaria.

March 2001, X, Maria Paola Stola, Roberto Stola and Fabrizio Giugiaro.

Milan March 2001. The entrance to the exhibition at the Triennale. Behind the S82 Spyder Fulvio Cinti, Alfredo Stola and Aldo Brovarone.

Milan March 2001. Bruno Alfieri's desire is to also have the Abarth Monotipo Stola. Posing Alfredo and Eng. Alberto Sasso.

Milan March 2001. Inside the Triennale, Eng. Bruno Sacco, Alfredo Stola and Aldo Brovarone.

Montecarlo September 2001. The photo shoot for the Auto Motor und Sport magazine by the journalist Eckhard Eybl.

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.

AUGUST 2000

In August 2000, Stola s.p.a. acquired an important job for Renault’s commercial vehicle department through Gianfranco Ferrera, their commercial representative for France.
The project was known as X83-H2, and the goal was to engineer an additional high roof version of the upcoming Trafic second series, including the two rear swing doors.
It had to be considered that Renault required that these interventions would apply to two different wheelbases of the vehicles and therefore had to work with modularity concepts for the volume behind the cab.

An integral part of the project was the realisation of the technical validation prototypes that would be produced in Rivoli, and the assistance of the Stola technical team for the series production start which would take place at the Renault-Nissan production plant in Barcelona.

This second "base" series was to be marketed in September 2001 under the Renault brand, and would be followed with versions for Opel, Vauxhall and Nissan known as Trafic, Vivaro,Vivaro and Primastar respectively. Sales of the high roof version was projected for early 2003.
Gottardo Bustreo followed the X82-H2 not only as Stola engineering director, but also as project manager.
For good synergy, a Stola technical-management office was set up in France, in the IDVU (Ingegnérie Division Vèhicules Utilitaires) area, which dealt with Renault technicians on a daily basis.
Part of the engineering work, including structural calculations, was carried out in the Cinisello Balsamo offices. Work in progress was sent to Renault in Villars Saint Fréderic, a town a few kilometers west of Paris.

Every two weeks there was an alignment of work progress through a scheduled meeting between the Stola and Renault technical departments.
Following an agreement with the customer,Gianfranco Morlacchi, responsible for Stola's engineering systems, organised the data connection between the two sites aimed at transferring the mathematical models and drawings using the Odette protocol, guaranteeing data security.
The project was developed using Catia software. Mathematical models and drawings sent to IDVU were then converted into Euclid format and added to their database.
At the end of the design phase, as per the contract, Messrs Bustreo, Ramundo, Tonoli and Lelogeais moved to Spain for around a year in order to work in the Nissan / Renault factory, assisting in putting the vehicle into production.

March 2003 at the Renault / Nissan plant in Barcelona, the Stola designers follow the pilot line assembly phases of the first Renault Trafic raised roof vehicles.

March 2003 the first Nissan Primastar vehicle is at the Renault / Nissan plant.

The Stola team dealt directly with the Renault plant manager Stefan Mercier who was responsible for, among other things, coordinating suppliers.
These were weekly meetings and, for the first time for Stola, they were performed via video conference.
The Stola Team was composed of the technicians Ramundo Pietro, Alvaro Puglisi, Tonoli Mauro, Claudio Locati, Roberto Livieri , Lelogeais Yannick, Gianfranco Morlacchi, Carlo Cavaglià, Shosho, Carignano, Cisillino, Di Lonardo and Peccolo working for two and a half years with colleagues from the transalpine automotive company Simon Luque, Valèrie Ardouin and Stefan Mercier.

March 2003 Barcelona at the Renault / Nissan plant a part of the team of Stola designers: Claudio Locati, Gottardo Bustreo, Volérie Brusseau, Pietro Ramundo, Yannick Lelogeais, Stèfan Mercier.