Even when it comes to zippers and buttons, Italy reigns supreme. The luxury market is ours, as demonstrated by the voracity with which various foreign conglomerates are buying up the jewels of our manufacturing sector. – Lapo Elkann
I’ve lived in London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, New York, and Turin. But New York is my favorite city. It has so much energy, so much toughness. – Lapo Elkann
Italy’s assets are her style, her beauty, her creativity, her passion, her energy, her technology; and these will be core brand values of all our cars. Fiat as a company has a long way to go and a steep road ahead. – Lapo Elkann
The Cinquecento was an engine of motivation at Fiat. It refurbished the image of the entire company. It’s a symbol for the company, but it’s more than that. It’s a global Italian symbol, as Mini is a global British symbol and the Beetle is a global German symbol. – Lapo Elkann
I don’t have an MBA, and I didn’t go to Yale. I’m not an academic person and wasn’t a good student. Instead, I’ve been taught by some of the most inspiring people in the world. – Lapo Elkann
I love Winston Churchill. I love the wisdom he had, the sagacity. I like people who are independent-minded. People who aren’t part of clans or systems, who are talented and free, and able to do things without being corrupted by the system. – Lapo Elkann
I like my country, but I don’t think like an Italian. It’s a complex, complicated difficult country to make things happen in. – Lapo Elkann
The value of ‘Made in Italy’ must necessarily be up-to-date. This is the philosophy that Italia Independent has embraced. We decided from the outset to do away with stereotypes and attune ourselves to the extreme pace, to the incessant metamorphoses of the globalized world. – Lapo Elkann
Just because you’re born in a privileged family and have money doesn’t mean you’re happy. Happiness you can’t buy. Happiness is something you need to work for. – Lapo Elkann
I’m a freestyle creative entrepreneur. Not a businessman. I like to create ventures in which creativity stands at the centre. – Lapo Elkann
I like listening to music and driving. How do you say… It’s the only way I can ‘chillax.’ – Lapo Elkann
Tailor Made will help Ferrari’s clients tailor their cars in a very personal, specific way. It’s a bespoke service, like visiting Huntsman or Anderson & Sheppard or whoever your favourite Savile Row tailor is. – Lapo Elkann
London is the financial capital of Europe, a great platform to America and Asia. I love the fact that in British culture you can be whoever you want, and people don’t even look at you. I don’t feel that in Paris or Milan. – Lapo Elkann
Tiles, the best furniture, fabrics, bath fixtures, bronze – just leaf through any design magazine and you immediately understand they’re all ‘Made in Italy.’ We have the premier opera house in the world, La Scala, and behind the Nobel given to CERN is the research of many Italians. – Lapo Elkann
I would say that Juventus is a myth not only in Italy, because it’s the most loved team in Italy, but also around the world. And it has been in my family since birth. – Lapo Elkann
You can learn from everyone, the president or the cleaner. You need teachers in life, but they’re not always school teachers or professors. You learn from ordinary people. You learn from travel, from just walking down the street. – Lapo Elkann
I try cars; I try them all. Cars need to be sexy, because we’re not talking about biscuits here. – Lapo Elkann
If you stop for lunch elsewhere in the world, you tend to eat a sandwich, and a bad one. Italy is unique for the style of life. I think everyone envies it a bit. – Lapo Elkann
I’m inspired every day by the great captains of industry and enlightened entrepreneurs like my great-great-grandfather and founder of Fiat, Giovanni Agnelli, who personally knew all his workers and gave so much to this country, or Adriano Olivetti, unique and innovative in every way. – Lapo Elkann
