Those who know Ferrari know Pininfarina—the company’s "F" emblem graces the flanks of some of the most sensuous shapes ever to emerge from the gates at Maranello. Learjet cognoscenti, however, may be less familiar with this famed design house. But that’s changing. With its new range of Pininfarina Edition aircraft, Florida-based Aero Toy Store is introducing the Italian icon’s celebrated style to the jet set—literally.

When Battista Farina—"Pinin" to his family—founded his eponymous carrozzeria in May of 1930, the idea was to design and build special car bodies on production chassis for a small cadre of wealthy aficionados. But word of the company’s brilliance spread quickly, and Pinin Farina (renamed Pininfarina in 1961) soon outgrew its founder’s modest business plan, earning fame with a dazzling succession of concept and production models for a variety of automakers, not to mention successful forays into industrial design, furniture, and even architecture. It was only a matter of time before Pininfarina looked skyward.

Like Battista Pininfarina, Montreal native Morris Shirazi is a man who defined himself through a deep and abiding appreciation for beautiful vehicles. At 35, he opened a company called Auto Toy Store and made a fortune as a dealer in classic cars, particularly Ferraris. In 1993, he founded Aero Toy Store as a side business, purchasing pre-owned executive aircraft and bringing them to better-than-new mechanical and cosmetic condition—as one might prepare a concours-quality vintage automobile. The company’s reputation for excellence didn’t escape Pininfarina, which was eager to forge relationships that would allow it to expand its non-automotive design work. "Frankly," says Aero Toy Store Chief Operating Officer (and Morris’s son), Ben Shirazi, "they approached us."

Morris Shirazi and Pininfarina’s Paulo Pininfarina hit it off immediately, and their respective companies began to pore over every element of executive-jet interior design, contemplating cabin layout, seat geometry and padding, materials, and color. They turned their attention to a recently acquired 1999 Learjet 60, with Pininfarina handling design work from its studio in Turin and Aero Toy Store putting it all together in Fort Lauderdale. Twenty-eight days and 2,700 worker-hours later, they had completely reinvented the jet’s seven-seat cabin, transforming it from buttoned-down businesswear to Italian haute couture, first class in every way. "The idea was not to try to do it as quickly as possible or as cheaply as possible," notes Aero Toy Store’s Senior Vice-President of Sales, Gary Anzalone. "The idea was to do it to a standard that befits the magnitude of the investment."

Inside, the cabin’s glowing walls impart a sense of space that belies its modest dimensions, a trick further abetted by ghost-striped black wool carpeting. Shapely new seats with integrated headrests are upholstered in double-stitched hide and feature quilted inset panels that beautifully evoke Pininfarina’s automotive origins. Metal trim is satin-rose nickel-plated and wood veneer is a gorgeous rotor-cut maple with an almost luminous quality to its grain.

The fruits of this Italian-American collaboration have been warmly received, to say the least. Aero Toy Store’s Fort Lauderdale workshop is bustling, tailoring Pininfarina’s motifs to clients’ specific tastes and needs, configuring seating arrangements and choosing from dozens of leather samples, wood veneers, and metallic trim finishes. Pininfarina is also broadening its portfolio of cabin designs to include such jets as the Global Express XRS, the Challenger 605, the Gulfstream IV, and even the stunning new Boeing Business Jet. "The Pininfarina family is very hands-on; Morris is also very hands-on," says Anzalone. "That’s really what’s made the synergy between these two companies. That’s why it works."

Aero Toy Store, 954.771.1795, www.aerotoystore.com