Mitomacchina: the History, Technology and Future of Car Design

Mitomacchina the History Technology and Future of Car Design
Car design is one of the defining legends of the past 100 years.

Through its history, much of that most revolutionary of eras, the 20th century, can be charted, and vehicle design looks set to continue to carve out an ever more crucial role for itself in the 21st.

Now, a major new exhibition in Italy is preparing to explore this most iconic of objects, revealing the history of car design and focusing on major innovations in vehicle aesthetics and technology.

On display will be the first car ever made with an internal combustion engine – the Benz Dreirad of 1886 – which will feature alongside great names in auto design, from Rolls Royce, Chevrolet and Lamborghini to Mini, Volkswagen and Nissan.

Mitomacchina opened in Trento at Mart (the modern and contemporary art museum of Trento and Rovereto) on December 2nd 2006.

It offers a dual approach into the role cars have played in society and design, looking at how vehicles have been protagonists of change, both socially and aesthetically.

At the same time, Mitomacchina will survey the designs, industrial processes and test that have accompanied this extraordinary "object" since its conception in the early 20th century.

Running alongside this look through the vehicle's design and sociological past, the exhibition sets out to reveal the young talent that is shaping the face of future car design.