A note about the owner of the Company Rosso Corsa, Signor Lino Franceschini.

       Lino Franceschini raced Alfa GTAs and Giulietta Sprints for Scuderia del Portello, the Alfa Romeo Official Race Team. He retired many years ago from racing and has been in the Italian boutique clothing business since. Two years ago, Lino and two watch craftsmen he knew in Modena designed and developed a line of Sport Watches with typically unique Italian styling. Early in 2006, after many months of testing and detailing, the watches were ready for the world market.
------I met Lino in Italy, by mere chance, during the time when he was wondering how to market his watches outside Italy. As all of you who know my history with Alfa, you can imagine Lino and I had a lot to talk about. We spent quite a lot of time together over the Easter holiday in Italy during 2006. We talked Alfas and watches. I became a real fan of the workmanship in these pieces. Even though the watches have a two-year warrantee, and a limited production of 888 watches per watch type, Lino insisted on keeping the prices low. His suggestion to put the “Tipo” number on each watch as well as a “Chassis” number on each watch I thought to be brilliant. He is keeping a register of the watches and calling it “Scheda di Montaggio” which we all know as a “Build Sheet”. You can tell these guys live in Modena.                                                            
       Lino offers a really nice, full range of several styles of watchbands and encourages us to have our clients pick and choose and custom design their own watch. Each watch will be furnished, when requested with a free dedication engraved on the back. Some of my clients so far have put; the name/model of their car, the name and birth date of someone they are giving the watch to, the “chassis” number of the Ferrari 250LM they used to own but sold for $8900 and will never see again. The idea is to help the client create an instant memory of something that is special to them.

------Lino and Matteo went to visit one of the shops in Italy together that is fortunate enough to make seat covers and interior components for the Ferrari factory when they do vintage car restorations.  While there, the owner showed them a redesign of the Navy duffle bag they had created. It was made smaller and constructed out of Ferrari soft top material, tastefully trimmed in leather.  They made them in two sizes.  One was envisioned as a Car & Boat Tote and the other as a matching women’s purse or smaller “Tote”.  The workmanship was so terrific Lino asked  if he could include them in his product line.  Next stop the USA.

Rosso Corsa USA © 2006

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