Gian Boano's Attention Getter.(Escape Roads)

Byline: MIKE COVELLO

One look at the outrageously flamboyant Lincoln Indianapolis and your brain screams "show car.'' If its designer Gian Paolo Boano was there, he would inform you that he preferred the term "exclusive study.'' It is safe to say cars don't come any more exclusive than this one-off styling exercise.

It is impossible not to notice Tom Kerr's prized possession. Besides the brilliant orange color, the car is a rolling embodiment of '50s outrageousness. True, there are no tailfins, but the aeronautic theme is executed by six rocket exhausts poking out from the front fenders. The nose is lacking the traditional '50s chrome grille, and instead features a curvaceous chrome bumper that unites the two pontoon fenders that bring to mind propellers. The greenhouse bears a striking resemblance to fighter cockpits of its day.

Swing open the huge door and you will find only two seats housed in this enormous body. A black stripe wraps around the interior on the dashboard, and "Indianapolis,'' in bright chrome letters, labels the car. At first glance you'd think the designer forgot to include any instrumentation. But a quick flip of the "stripe'' reveals this is just a cover, and the instruments, radio, heater controls and outlets are all tucked away behind it. The large chrome-and-black Bakelite wheel is the only item that tells you a Lincoln donated its chassis; that, and the marque's name spelled out on the rounded nose.

Felice Mario Boano may not be as well known as some other Italian design houses, such as Pininfarina. But Boano was one of Battista "Pinin'' Farina's original employees when the young Farina set up shop in 1930. F.M. Boano was launched in 1934, and it was here that Felice's son Gian Paolo Boano came to work at the tender age of 17. Boano Sr. agreed to the widow Ghia's request to help save the remains of that war-torn company in 1944. A fight with chief designer Luigi Serge led to the father and son moving on from Ghia and forming Carrozzeria Boano in 1953.