In recent years, passenger car tyres have made sizeable gains in performance and safety, good news for owners of contemporary vehicles. Classic car owners, on the other hand, are often left with a choice between modern tyres, which perform well but don’t look quite right, or period-correct tyres that match the look of the original, at the expense of gains in performance and handling. Pirelli’s Collezione series of tyres for classic vehicles, newly expanded, offers the best of both worlds, blending original tread patterns and lettering with modern materials and construction methods.
Launched in 2016 and expanded since, the first range of Pirelli Collezione tyres was aimed at Porsche models built between 1959 and 2006. The tyres covered automobiles included everything from the 356 through the 914, the 911 and even later transaxle models, such as the 924 and 944. The effort was a successful one, prompting Pirelli to greatly expand the range of tire models and sizes within the Collezione series.
Today, the Pirelli Collezione product line includes Cinturato tyre models that date to the 1950s (the CF67 and CA67), the 1960s (CN72 and CN36), and the 1970s (CN12, P7, and P5). All feature radial construction with modern materials and contemporary rubber compounds, combined with a classic tread pattern and sidewall lettering.
With the product line expansion, Pirelli Collezione tyres are now available for a diverse array of classic imports, including the Volkswagen Beetle, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, the Ferrari Daytona, the Lamborghini Miura, and a variety of others ranging from the common to the exotic. Those seeking a period-correct competition tyre are in luck as well, as Pirelli is offering the P7 Corsa Classic in both dry and wet tread configurations in sizes to fit cars such as the Audi Quattro, the Ferrari 308, the Renault Alpine, the Porsche 911, the Lancia Stratos, the Ford RS200, the E30 series BMW M3, and many others.