With master Italian car design business Pininfarina celebrating its 90th anniversary this year with a special postage stamp YesAuto thought it high time for a round-up of other automotive brands and models that have been so commemorated in this philatelic special…
There’s something pleasingly nerdy about stamp collecting – or“philately” to give the activity its technical term – that will be reassuringly familiar to those whose obsessions normally lie in all things automotive. Both subjects attract enthusiasts from all around the globe that like to catalogue and collect, buy and sell, compare and contrast and generally appreciate the finer details and subtle differences between what are basically rectangular-shaped things. Stamps may be two-dimensional and cars three-dimensional but the links are still legion. So to find stamps that commemorate cars as their subject matter should come as no surprise. And to get such an honour they’re usually special ones, as this round-up starting with the latest from Pininfarina proves…
Fantastic Ferrari: the futuristic 1970 Modulo one-off
When the Pininfarina design house behind most of the great Ferraris of the 20th Century chose a vehicle to grace its 90th anniversary commemorative stamp this autumn it’s no wonder it decided on a vehicle with a “prancing horse” logo on its bonnet. What’s perhaps more surprising is that the Ferrari in question is not one of the more recent models from the famous Italian sporting marque or even one that was intended to race. Instead Pininfarina chose the ultra rare-groove, one-of-one Ferrari Modulo from 1970, an experimental concept masterpiece created by one of its best designers, Paolo Martin. With its ultra-wedge low profile, canopy opening “door”, partially covered wheels and late-60s space-age styling it looks incredible and still holds its own among the best concept designs of today. And it makes for a great stamp, even as a sketch.
Metro to Ghost: the educational British four from 1982
The Post Office’s “Great British Motor Cars” stamp set of 1982 had an educational aim, to highlight how automotive technology and design had dramatically changed over the decades via a quartet of stamps comparing historic and (then) current models from four British brands. So the now defunct marque Austin is represented by the Seven and Mini Metro – the latter was British Leyland’s best-selling car in 1982 – and for Ford it's the Model T and Escort. And the most expensive stamp? A brace of Rolls-Royces – the Silver Ghost and Silver Spirit – on the 29p version.
And which famous five were picked to celebrate 100 years of British car-making in 1996?
In 1996 the British motor industry’s centenary was commemorated, which would probably explain why a set of five stamps depicting bonnet and grille details of famous British car brands was issued that year. Triumph got the 20 pence stamp, MG the 26p version and Austin-Healey the 37p one. Perhaps it was only right and proper that the more premium brands Jaguar (43p) and Morgan (63p) took the higher price stamps. To see ones just like these and lots more cool stamps, why not visit the https://www.postalmuseum.org
British postal stamps © Royal Mail Group, courtesy of the Postal Museum
Keyword: Licked and lovely: Why we like car stamps