Sergio Pininfarina, son of Battista Farina, was the designer of some of the world’s most iconic cars and has died at the age of 85. Cars that carry his iconic name include the Ferrari Testarossa, the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta, the Maserati Quattroporte and the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti. Pininfarina also did significant work for Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Rolls Royce and Volvo, but it’s with Ferrari that his legend developed most outwardly.
Sergio Pininfarina was born in Turin on September 8, 1926. He graduated in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic of Torino in 1950, before beginning his career in the family firm, Carrozzeria Pinin Farina as it was known in 1960. In 1961, the President of the Italian Republic, Giovanni Gronchi, decreed the name Farina be changed to Pininfarina. He undertook the responsibility of General Manager of the firm, became Managing Director in 1961 and in 1966, after his father’s death, he took over the Chairmanship of the Company. In 2006 he became Honorary Chairman.
While we will all remember him for his emotive designs, some of his most significant activities at Pininfarina were behind the drawing board. Sergio was responsible for the planning and the construction of new facilities at Grugliasco (Torino), the construction of the new Studies and Research Centre inaugurated in 1966, as well as a new wind tunnel – the first in Italy in 1979.
“Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche S.p.A.” was established at Cambiano (Torino) in 1986, a new plant in San Giorgio Canavese – near Turin – started operating in the same year, leading to its successful entrance into the Italian Stock Exchange in 1986. The Pininfarina Group then expanded its activities towards all areas of industrial design, not just automotive.
The most significant positions Sergio Pininfarina held over his 85 years include: Professor of “Car Body Design” at the Polytechnic of Torino (1974 – 1977); President of the Industrial Association of Torino (1978 – 1984); Member of the European Parliament (1979-1988); President of International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (1987-1989); and Member of the Board of Directors of Ferrari S.p.A. (1969-2011).
Sergio Pininfarina received numerous honours throughout his life including: Designer Lifetime Achievement Award (1991); “Head of the Century in the International Automotive Hall of Fame” (2001); Palme d’Or du Festival Automobile International (2005); Automotive Hall of Fame of Dearborn, Michigan (2007); European Automotive Hall of Fame of Geneva (2008).
His designs will live on forever in the legacy of his company.
