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Barchetta () is an
When applied to an automobile, ''barchetta'' describes a small car that is open-topped, without provision of a removable or foldable top for weather protection. Instead of a full windshield, the barchetta has a low-rise transparent wind deflector that may be a single full width piece, be divided into two sections, or omitted entirely. With an emphasis on performance, unnecessary trim and equipment is kept to a minimum.
The barchetta has full-width enveloping bodywork, in contrast to an early spider corsa, which may have cycle or wing fenders. Later (non-corsa) spiders added more heavily padded seats, interior carpeting and a full windshield, items not found in the more spartan barchette. Some later cars still called barchette were more well-appointed, following the trend of the later spiders and
Barchetta () is an Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
word commonly translated into English as "little boat". The term originally referred to a small skiff
A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have devel ...
used for recreational purposes. It is also applied to some items of clothing, as well as being used in automobile styling, where it describes a class of open-top, two-seat sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
s.
Etymology
Italian
The root of barchetta is ''barca'', the Italian word for "boat". In Italian "small boat" would be ''piccola barca''. The use of the diminutive suffix ''-etta'', the feminine form of ''-etto'', confers the sense of something small or tiny with a connotation of endearment or affection towards the object. The plural form of barchetta is ''barchette''.French
In French the equivalent term is ''barquette''. The root word ''barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts having the fore- and mainmasts Square rig, rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) Fore-and-aft rig, rigged fore and aft. Som ...
'', which in French refers to a boat with three or more masts, is combined with the diminutive suffix ''-ette''. In common use, barquette may refer to a shallow container or tray. Its use when describing an automobile is similar to that of the Italian term.
Clothing
A ''cappello a barchetta'' refers to a militaryside cap
Side or Sides may refer to:
Geometry
* Edge (geometry) of a polygon (two-dimensional shape)
* Face (geometry) of a polyhedron (three-dimensional shape)
Places
* Side (Ainis), a town of Ainis, ancient Thessaly, Greece
* Side (Caria), a town of ...
similar to a bustina. It may also refer to an out-moded three-cornered hat somewhat similar to a tricorne
The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat that was popular during the 18th century, falling out of style by 1800, though actually not called a "tricorne" until the mid-19th century. During the 18th century, hats of this general style were referr ...
with a less pronounced brim.
A ''tasca a barchetta'' or "barchetta pocket" refers to a breast pocket in a men's suit jacket or blazer cut and trimmed in the curved shape of a boat.
Automobiles
Description
When applied to an automobile, ''barchetta'' describes a small car that is open-topped, without provision of a removable or foldable top for weather protection. Instead of a full windshield, the barchetta has a low-rise transparent wind deflector that may be a single full width piece, be divided into two sections, or omitted entirely. With an emphasis on performance, unnecessary trim and equipment is kept to a minimum.
The barchetta has full-width enveloping bodywork, in contrast to an early spider corsa, which may have cycle or wing fenders. Later (non-corsa) spiders added more heavily padded seats, interior carpeting and a full windshield, items not found in the more spartan barchette. Some later cars still called barchette were more well-appointed, following the trend of the later spiders and convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
s.
Origins and use
The first car to be called a barchetta was a Ferrari 166 MM shown at the 1948Turin Auto Show
The Turin Motor Show ( it, Salone dell'Automobile di Torino) was an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, becoming a permanent fixture in Turin from ...
. The car was designed by Federico Formenti at Carrozzeria Touring
Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera is an Italian automobile coachbuilder. Originally established in Milan in 1925, Carrozzeria Touring became well known for both the beauty of its designs and patented superleggera construction methods. The bus ...
. Giovanni Canestrini, editor of the Italian sporting newspaper ''La Gazzetta dello Sport'', applied the term to describe the new car's original bodystyle. The name barchetta has been associated with the open 166MM model ever since.
Ferrari built other models also called barchetta, including versions of the Ferrari 212 Inter
:''See also the 212 Export sports racer''
The Ferrari 212 Inter replaced Ferrari's successful 166 and 195 Inter grand tourers in 1951. Unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show that year, the 212 was an evolution of the 166 — a sports car for th ...
and the Ferrari 250 MM
The Ferrari 250 MM was a sports racing car produced by Ferrari in 1953. After the initial racing successes of the 3.0-litre ''Colombo'' V12 engine, introduced in the 250 S one-off, Ferrari produced a serial racing model. It is best recognisable ...
Vignale
Vignale is the luxury car sub-brand of Ford Motor Company used in automobiles sold in Europe.
Other manufacturers began to use the name as well, such as the Maserati brothers' O.S.C.A. MT4 barchetta of 1948, the 1953 Moretti 750 barchetta, and the 1966
Abarth
Abarth & C. S.p.A. () is an Italian racing and road car maker and performance division founded by Italo-Austrian Carlo Abarth in 1949. Abarth & C. S.p.A. is owned by Stellantis through its Italian subsidiary. Its logo is a shield with a styliz ...
1000 SP racing barchetta.
The label was also applied retroactively to cars that had been built before the launch of the Ferrari 166MM, such as the 1943 Stanguellini
Automobili Stanguellini was an Italian maker of small sports cars, based in Modena and founded by Vittorio Stanguellini; it was most active between 1946 and 1960. They continued to produce competition cars until 1981, when Vittorio Stanguellini ...
Ala d'Oro.
More contemporary barchette have included the 1991 track-oriented Maserati Barchetta
The Maserati Barchetta is a mid-engine racing car, like the 350 and 450S, that was designed by Carlo Gaino of the Synthesis Design, an Italian design house.
The Barchetta was designed and developed for the one-make racing series ''Grantrofeo Bar ...
, the Fiat Barchetta
The Fiat Barchetta (; Type 183) is a roadster produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1995 to 2006. '' Barchetta'' in Italian means "little boat", and also denotes a type of open-top sports car body style.
History
The Barchetta was dev ...
of 1995–2005, Ferrari's 2001 550 Barchetta Pininfarina built to mark Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian mu ...
's 70th anniversary, the 2003 Lamborghini Murciélago
The Lamborghini Murciélago is a sports car produced by Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini between 2001 and 2010. Successor to the Diablo and flagship V12 of the automaker's lineup, the Murciélago was introduced as a coupé in 2001. ...
Barchetta Concept, that entered production under Roadster nameplate; the 2001 Aston Martin DB4
The DB4 is a grand tourer that was produced by Aston Martin from 1958 until 1963.
Technically the DB4 was not a development of the DB Mark III it replaced, nor did it evolve into the DB5. It had a platform rather than a tubular chassis with a ...
GT Zagato Barchetta recreation, the 2007 Bertone Bertone is an Italian surname meaning "descendant of Roberto". Notable people with the surname include:
* Alicia Bertone, American academic, researcher, and veterinary surgeon
* Catherine Bertone (born 1972), Turkish-born female Italian marathon r ...
Barchetta Concept and the 2018 Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta.
References
External links
{{Automobile configuration Car body styles Automotive styling features