A tyre just won a design award. No, really
Tyres don’t usually win design awards. Lamps, chairs, bits of Scandinavian kitchenware, sure. But a big round hoop of rubber? That’s a first.
Step forward the Pirelli P Zero E, which has just bagged the Compasso d’Oro, one of the most prestigious industrial design prizes in the world. Think of it as the Oscars of ‘things you wouldn’t normally notice unless they’re missing.’
To be fair, the P Zero E isn’t your average black circle. Pirelli says it’s the first ultra-high-performance tyre made with more than 55 percent bio-based and recycled materials, while still delivering triple-A ratings for grip, rolling resistance and noise. It’s also designed to squeeze more miles from electric and hybrid cars, and features clever tech that lets you limp on after a puncture. Basically, it’s a sustainable revolution you’ll never actually see once it’s bolted onto a set of 20-inch alloys.
The award was presented in Osaka as part of the 70th anniversary of the Compasso d’Oro. Pirelli’s people said all the right things about research, sustainability and AI-driven development. Petrolblog’s people (er, me) are still trying to get over the fact that a tyre has won a design gong. Next stop: hubcaps storm the Turner Prize.
Of course, Pirelli knows a thing or two about making rubber look good. Its motorsport heritage, legendary 1970s and ’80s adverts, and those infamous calendars have long blurred the line between engineering and art. Perhaps the P Zero E is simply the logical next step: a tyre that’s both clever and easy on the conscience.
So yes, a tyre just won a design award. If nothing else, it gives us an excuse to go digging in the Pirelli archives for some vintage advertising gold. Because if there’s one thing better than a sustainable future, it’s a 1980s poster of a Lancia Rally 037 sat on impossibly wide Pirellis.
