Pirelli has announced that it equipped the ‘gullwing’ Mercedes 300 SL with its Cinturato CA67 tire at the 2019 tribute to the historic Milan to Sanremo race.
Besides being the first sporting tire in modern history, the Cinturato is Pirelli’s longest-standing brand, featuring on posters and in company adverts for decades. Sold as the CA67 from the early 1950s, the Cinturato was first developed as “tread pattern 367”. The legendary tire returned at the latest tribute to the well-known Milan to Sanremo road race—one of the oldest motorsport events in Italy, where Pirelli is a sponsor. The 11th edition of this revival event took place from March 28 to 30 this year. The Italian tire giant decided to bring back what the company believes to be one of the most potent symbol of mass motoring to the road—the Cinturato.
A peek into the tire’s history
The iconic Cinturato was the first radial tire created by Pirelli. It was also the first tire that was designed with an overtly sporting character since it was made to equip the Alfa Romeo range. The tire contained a high-temperature resistant tread compound and a radial canvas structure with crossed belts that afforded extra rigidity. These components made the tire well-suited for the first modern sports car. This iconic tire was created by famous tire wizard and a technology guru, Luigi Emanueli from Milan.
The Cinturato had to work to earn its place in an era (the 1950s and 1960s) when comfort was given precedence over performance. Established tires with more conventional structures, such as the Stelvio and Sempiano, ruled the roads when Emanueli’s creation was first introduced. The CA67’s upward journey had kicked off by 1954, becoming the public face of Pirelli, with its distinctive silhouette and tread pattern representing the company at trade shows and in adverts. The tire stayed on as part of the range until 1980. It is currently available as part of the Pirelli Collezione family. This platform offers enthusiasts the requisite tires that combine classic looks with modern technology and materials without compromising a classic car’s originality. Pirelli now offers the Cinturato brand with the P7, a tire with the greatest number of homologations.
Pirelli’s first made to measure tire
In a release by the company, Pirelli says that sporting performance and customization remain key hallmarks of its DNA today, and this became well-known thanks to the Cinturato. The company’s Perfect Fit strategy remains its primary focus today, ever since it was ushered in by the launch of “Tread pattern 367”. Makers of premium and prestige vehicles are therefore able to depend on tires that are precisely tailored to fit every individual model. Pirelli’s Cinturato CA67 was the forerunner of a family of tires with specific applications, altered according to the vehicles they are fitted to. The Perfect Fit strategy that characterizes Pirelli’s tires today represents the company’s unique made-to-measure approach.
