Switzerland has always been considered a car-neutral country. Remembered, at most, for the annual Geneva Motor Show. In reality, there has been no lack of original and interesting industrial expressions in the Confederation either. Quality craftsmen (Monteverdi), assembly plants (Opel and American General Motors brands), bold and visionary prototypes (the Solothurn 750, Franco Sbarro's concept cars). But there has also been a Switzerland that has spoken the language of automotive style. This was the case in Aigle, in the Canton of Vaud (French-speaking Switzerland) which, from the immediate post-war period, was home to the Swiss subsidiary of Carrozzeria Ghia: Ghia-Aigle, which became an independent brand in 1953 and which also had a branch in Lugano, in Ticino. The finest names in Italian design have alternated and trained in this dépendance of Turin style: from Giovanni Michelotti to Mario Boano, from Pietro Frua to Dany Brawand, head of style at Carrozzeria Moretti (he was born in Vevey, on the shores of Lake Geneva).

To recall the connections between Italy and Switzerland, and to pay due honour to an important and little-known theme, the exhibition Genie et Elegance - L'automobile par Giovanni Michelotti will be held from 14 May to 26 June in Aigle, at the showroom Prestige Car Romand (Route de Lausanne, 13).  Organised by the Club Fiat Anciennes Suisse and the Archivio Storico Michelotti, with the patronage of the Consulate General of Italy in Geneva. 
On stage are seventeen cars, most of them designed by Michelotti, to whom this exhibition pays tribute after the exhibitions already staged in recent months at the MauTO in Turin and the DAF Museum in Eindhoven, Holland, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth, which will be held on 6 October 2021. Alfa Romeo, Alpine, BMW, DAF, Ferrari, Fiat, Jaguar, Lancia, Moretti, MG, Triumph are the brands that make up the bouquet of cars on display on the first floor of the Prestige Car Romand. But there will also be sketches, shape plans and documents to tell a story of passion, dedication and openness to the world. 
The exhibition will be open from Tuesday to Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guided tours can be booked by sending an e-mail to contact@fiatanciennes.ch or by calling +41 79 2104613.