Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse (it does many things) company based in Milan, Italy. It operates in many countries.

History 

Pirelli was founded 1872 in Milan by Giovanni Battista Pirelli. Pirelli initially worked in rubber and related processes. The company used to make scuba diving rebreathers (a special type of underwater breathing machine). Pirelli's activities are still focused on the building of tyres and cables (for energy and telecommunications). In 2005, Pirelli sold its cable division to Goldman Sachs, which changed the new group's name to Prysmian.

In the 1950s, Alberto Pirelli had the famous Milanese skyscraper built. It is in the same area as the first Pirelli factory in the 19th century.

In 1974, Pirelli invented the wide radial tyre. This was at the request from the Lancia rally racing team. They needed a tyre strong enough for their new Stratos.

Later, Porsche started using the same tyres with the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Today, the wide tyres are still the standard in sport & racing cars.

Marketing 
The Pirelli Calendar is published once a year. It often features famous actresses and fashion models. The calendar also features the work of many well  respected fashion photographers.

The Pirelli Internetional Award is given annually for the best international multimedia involving the communication of Science & Technology conducted entirely on the Internet.

Power is nothing without control is the slogan of Pirelli Tyre Company.

Pirelli is the long time main sponsor of Italian football club F.C. Internazionale Milano.

Sponsorship 
Pirelli has a history of sponsoring football teams. Pirelli is known for its long term primary sponsorship of the Italian football team Internazionale Milano F.C. Pirelli also supports rally. Pirelli Star Driver is an project to support young rally drivers. It is organised by Pirelli and the FIA.

Motorsport 
Since 2007, Pirelli is the only tyre brand used in the FIM World Superbike Championship. The tyres are also used in the support classes.

Pirelli has the contract for the control tyre supply in the British Superbike Championship. This contract started in 2008 and will last until 2010 at least.

Pirelli is the official tyre supplier of the World Rally Championship. They replaced BF Goodrich for the 2008 season.

Formula One 
Pirelli competed in Formula One in three distinct periods. The first time was between  and . The second time was between  and . The third time was between  and . They started 200 Grands Prix races, and won 44 of them.

Pirelli will return to the sport in  as the sole tyre supplier. Bridgestone decided to withdraw as the supplier at the end of .

To test the new F1 tyre, Pirelli signed Nick Heidfeld. A 2009 version of a Toyota Racing chassis is being used to test the tyres. The testing is taking place during the second half of the  season. In September 2010, Heidfeld was signed by Sauber to race the remainder of the season. Pirelli then hired former GP2 and Renault F1 driver Romain Grosjean to test for them.

References

Other websites 

PirelliTyre.com  Pirelli Tyres Worldwide
PirelliRE.com  Pirelli Real Estate
Yahoo! Pirelli & C. SpA Company Profile

Companies of Italy
Tire manufacturers