15 hot Italians

When the first pictures of 'Pagani's followup to the now legendary Zonda hit the Internet, many ''fish-'face' jokes were made and Pagani fans lamented the loss of the Zonda's hyper-aggressive bodylines. Now, with some four to five months left before its official release, the Huayra is already influencing supercar design. In the coming years, we'll appreciate the Huayara more for the benchmark it is. For now, this stunning blood-red example adds an extra sense of vitality to the Huayra.

For the legendary design house's 100th anniversary, this concept was created to represent both the past and future of Bertone automobiles. Taking cues from iconic Bertone designs like the Lamborghini Miura and Lancia Stratos Zero, the Nuccio concept flaunts its dramatic angles and edges in ways few cars today dare. The Nuccio concept is a symphony of flowing lines and fearless aesthetic opinion. Oh, and it's kind of an acquired taste.

Ferrari fans everywhere want to lose their minds over the 458 these days, and with good reason — the current Ferrari standard-bearer is a benchmark of supercar performance. But that shouldn't mean the still-remarkable F430 should be forgotten. Far from it: this beautiful superlight Scuderia model represented the next step in the race-ready Challenge range of prancing horse models, and it still stands out even among the amazing sights to be seen at Concorso Italiano.

Some say the F40 is the last truly great Ferrari; that the intrusion of Formula One technology and nanny systems has watered down the driving experience in every Ferrari since. An inarguable point: to this day, there is something about the F40 that wakes up the boy racer in all of us. With mechanicals as simple and raw as its design was forward-thinking, the F40 offers something that every car person can appreciate.

It's a Holy Grail for supercar fans everywhere — the elusive Ferrari 288 GTO. With only 272 produced from 1984-1985, seeing a 288 GTO in person is akin to finding the eye of a needle in a very large haystack. This 1985 example seen at the 2012 Concorso Italiano exhibits a flawless perfection that is awe-inspiring. The 288 GTO was the apex of an era at Ferrari, and that it can excite on first sight after all these years is testament to its greatness.

The late-'50s/early '60s Giulietta Sprint Speciale is rarer than hen's teeth. Survivors are few and far-between -- sparkling, like-new examples such as this one are a wonder to behold. This model features aerodynamics that were decades ahead of its time (to this day, the SS's drag coefficient is impressive) in a small package that packed plenty of verve and style into a small frame. It's hard to look at and not smile.

The great Alfa GT car of the late '60s and early '70s holds up. Slightly bigger, slightly wider, and slightly smoother in delivering its 120 horsepower than the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce, the 1750 exudes style over flash — no small feat for an Italian classic. Many today daydream of cruising in a Spider with the top down, but give us a sharp, deep green coupe like this 1750 any day.

With the recent resurgence of the Ghibli's popularity, it's easy to forget that in its day this Maserati coupe outsold legends like the Ferrari Daytona and Lamborghini Miura. Essentially a two-door body wrapped around a V8 with 335 horsepower and two fuel tanks to keep it rumbling, the Ghibli was, until recently, the classic supercar for the discriminating buyer looking for a deal. Not so much now, but wonderful nonetheless.

The vanguard for the modern supercar. The Miura, built from 1966 to 1972, kicked the door down and set the standard for every car after it that young gearheads dreamed about: two seats, mid-mounted V12, exotic looks — the Miura had it all. It even had 'eyelashes' around its unique semi-pop-up headlights. If any classic Italian supercar captures both its era and the spirit of its builder, it's the Miura.

Where the Lamborghini Miura embodies a moment in time and the brashness of its marque, the Ferrari Dino is eternal in its restrained style. The 246 came along with a slightly more powerful engine for those who thought the original 206 model's V6 didn't pull hard enough, but that was never the point of the Dino . . . just look at it.

Seemingly forgotten in the face of the Countach obsession of '70s and '80s babies is Lamborghini's version of a Ferrari Dino-like 'everyday' model — the Jalpa. With a more livable V8 and better sightlines for the driver than the Countach, you'd think these would be all over the world's auction houses and on the 'must-have' lists of collectors, but still they're rare to see.

There's no denying the impact of the Countach's design. Even today the strong, cabin-forward, wedge-bodied Countach is arresting at a glance. It simultaneously embodies the aesthetic of an era and transcends it. The sharpness of the Countach's angles along with the massive V12 monster behind the seats gives the impression that it's merely a sled with a rocket strapped to it. That's not far from the truth, actually.

You're not likely to see very many of these classic Fiats bodied by coachbuilder Allemano out and about, and even if you happen across one, it can be easy to miss the magic of the bodywork. There's just a little something extra in the Allemano that doesn't jump out from the average classic Fiat — the cool factor. The Allemano is a little boxier, a little more aggressive in its stance, and thus a wonderfully deliberate design.

Beyond the rarity of a 695, seeing a rust-free example such as the one at Concorso Italiano is quite a treat. This version of the venerable Fiat 500 pushed performance to a whopping 32-horsepower worth of cobblestone-crushing fury; 38 if you opted for the 695 SS. Pound-for-pound, classic Abarth models hang with any Ferrari or Lambo for pure giggle-inducing fun.

The Ferrari Owners Group made itself heard at Concorso this year with their 458 Challenge racer. Touting replacement panels and materials lightening the already obscenely fast 458, the Challenge is a race car to be reckoned with. The 458's lines look fast sitting still and its engine note flat-out screams. There's nothing quite like the latest Ferrari, whichever model it happens to be at the time.

James Tate cut his teeth in the business as a race team crew member before moving to the editorial side as Senior Editor of Sport Compact Car, and his work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Automobile, Motor Trend and European Car. When not writing, Tate is usually fantasizing about a vintage Porsche 911.