By Robert Cumberford

In matters of automotive aesthetic mastery, there have been only two major influences. From about 1910 to 1939, the world looked to Paris, where the best designers worked their magic. After World War II, French leftist politicians intentionally destroyed the coachbuilding industry to punish rich clients who had sustained the business. This also killed great marques: Bugatti, Delage, Delahaye, Talbot, et. al., thereby ending French design leadership.

An enlightened Italian communist party thought jobs more important than class warfare, allowing the flow of raw materials French communists had stanched for the carrosseries. Ferraris and Maseratis were meant only for the rich? Their money could support hundreds of craftsmen and their families.

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Source: http://www.automobilemag.com/