Photography by David Gooley
Beautiful Cars of Brianza
October 1, 2003
Under the stewardship of Brianza’s wife, Ella, son Andrea (who was trained by his father and creates the prototype for each new offering), and daughter Laura, the ABC Brianza line has grown to encompass hundreds of models, each hand-assembled by a small staff in Varesino, Italy. Bodies are cast (usually in a stable, durable resin), finished, painted, and mated with wheels, interiors, and the fine detail elements that are the hallmark of Brianza models.
The level of detailing varies, depending on the model’s scale and projected price. At the head of the line are the one-fourteenth-scale “Carlo Brianza” signature editions. These magnificent €1,620 miniatures are perhaps the closest one can come to owning a bespoke model without paying the much higher price—and enduring the much longer wait—the one-offs demand. If the “Carlo Brianza” series has a drawback, it is the almost total devotion to Ferraris (Brianza is an Italian company, after all), though one need not be dedicated to the Maranello marque’s cars to appreciate them. Brianza has announced that a Maserati A6GCS, Rolls-Royce Phantom III (with stunning Figoni et Falaschi coachwork), and Lamborghini 350GT will be made, which will interest a wider range of automotive enthusiasts.
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It's red, it's beautiful, it's an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, and thanks to the skills of Brianza's artisans, it does not leak oil as the real thing is prone to do. It takes up much less space than the original, too. (Click image to enlarge)It seems unfair to brand the ABC Brianza lines of one-twelfth-, one-fourteenth-, one-twenty-fourth-, and one-forty-third-scale miniatures as lesser offerings, for they are still crafted by hand. They are less expensive, however, ranging in price from roughly €200 to €1,600. Many are also available in unassembled form.
Brianza also offers miniatures—in finished and kit form—from a variety of other sources. Some of these are scarce on this side of the Atlantic, so it is worth poring over the thousands of listings in the firm’s catalog (available either online or by mail) in search of rarities and oddities.
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