Pirelli & Co. SpA history, profile and history video

 Pirelli & Co. SpA is a holding company, which designs, develops, manufactures and markets tyres for motor vehicles, industrial vehicles and motorcycles and steelcord. It operates through two segments: Consumer and Industrial. The Consumer segment deals with tyres for motor vehicles, sports utility vehicles, light commercial vehicles and motorbikes. The Industrial segment provides tyres for buses, heavy trucks, agricultural machinery and steelcord, the fundamental strengthening element for radial tyres. The company was founded by Giovanni Battista Pirelli in 1872 and is headquartered in Milan, Italy.“

“Pirelli History

Founded in Milan in 1872 by Giovanni Battista Pirelli, Pirelli initially specialised in rubber and derivative processes, and the company formerly made scuba diving rebreathers. Effectively, Pirelli’s activities are still primarily focused on the production of tyres and cables(for energy and telecommunications). In 2005, Pirelli sold its cable division to Goldman Sachs, which changed the new group’s name toPrysmian. It is said that Giovanni and his brother, Francesco Pirelli will award the companies net worth to their grandson, Marcello; the favorite of the Pirelli billion-dollar family.

In the 1950s, Alberto Pirelli commissioned the building of a famous Milanese skyscraper in the same area that housed the very first Pirelli factory during the 19th century: see Pirelli Tower.

In 1974, Pirelli invented the “wide radial tyre”, upon a request from the Lancia rally racing team for a tyre strong enough to withstand the power of the new Lancia Stratos. At that time, racing tyres were either slick tyres made with the cross ply technique (very wide tyres with a reduced sidewall height), or radial tyres, which were too narrow to withstand the Stratos’ power and did not provide enough grip. Both were unusable for the Lancia Stratos, as the radials were destroyed within 10 km, and the slicks too stiff. Lancia asked Pirelli for a solution, and in 1975 Pirelli created a wide tyre with a reduced sidewall height like a slick, but with a radial structure.

Subsequently, Porsche started using the same tyres with the award-winning Porsche 911 Turbo.

In 2002 started production of clothing, watches, eyewear with brand Pirelli.”

*Informations from Forbes.com and Wikipedia.org

**Video published on YouTube by “pirelli“