Pininfarina – The alchemy of form
The name Pininfarina conjures up images of luxury, speed and taste. Over the past 50 years the famous Turin design house has penned some of the most desirable and iconic cars in the world, but besides giving shape to Ferraris, Maseratis and other exotic forms of transport Pininfarina has also been at the forefront of innovation – pioneers in search of the perfect alchemy of form, technology and function…
The contribution of Pininfarina to the world of automotive design has been prolific. Ever keen to explore new frontiers, the company has been an innovator that encourages the large manufacturers to do more than focus on engineering or number crunching. Indeed, like its – mostly Italian – colleagues, this design house has helped the likes of Enzo Ferrari and Ferruccio Lamborghini give physical form to their dreams whilst allowing the businessmen and engineers at Fiat, Austin and Peugeot to dare a little, dream a little.
Some industries are more prone to dry, rational business than others. The car industry, while big business, has always had an element of romance and fantasy about it, starting with the daydreams of young boys and progressing to the aspirations of adults. Like architects and fashion designers, the industrial designers at Pininfarina answer a need for beauty and innovation that lives within the populace, whether they are in the market for a little Toyota or a top of the range Italian sports car.
A rich legacy
Many of the legendary marques were built upon the drive, charisma and personalities, nay egos, of larger than life characters such as Enzo Ferrari, Feruccio Lamborghini, William Lyons and Ettore Bugatti. Pininfarina is no different. Sergio ‘Pinin’ Farina, the man who founded the company in 1930 and officially combined his nickname and surname in 1961, was not just one of the greatest designers of the 20th century. He created a legacy of styling that is nothing short of art. Today, the company continues in family hands, proud of their heritage as they forge the shapes and styles that mesmerise us in the 21st century.
One of the first great breakthroughs of Sergio ‘Pinin’ Farina was the Lancia Aprilia. Designed in 1936, just six years after founding his company, Farina immediately established his name through a car that was to become an industry innovator – and a classic – in its own lifetime. After the war he followed it up with the 1948 Cisitalia, which once again gave an insight into the skills of a designer who was willing to lead, creating new styles rather than following them. It was the likes of Farina that established Italy’s reputation as the world’s centre for design. In the Cisitalia 202 and the subsequent Lancia Aurelia B20 GT – the world’s first Gran Turismo – Farina gave the world a glimpse of the future.
Like the earlier Aprilia, they hinted at the disappearance of the separate wing profile, a tendency that subsequently became universal and led car design on an entirely new path. Suddenly it wasn’t just famous Italian makes such as Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Maserati that enlisted Farina’s help in creating sumptuous dream motors, but also the likes of Nash and Cadillac, Austin and Jaguar. From France’s Peugeot to Sweden’s Volvo, it was often the beginning of a longstanding relationship that continues to this day.
Models such as the Nash Farina series gave the American carmaker a touch of Italian flair – and an extended lifeline. Some of the more luxurious sports models were even made in Italy and shipped to America, a venture that would be revisited with the Cadillac Allante and the Pininfarina Spider many years later. Meanwhile, such icons of the British car industry as the Austin A40 also came off the drawing boards in Turin, many a British driver unaware that theirs was actually an Italian-designed car. It was a global expansion that would see Pininfarina become perhaps the most famous design house of all, contracted by carmakers from Europe, America and Asia to design anything from luxurious masterpieces to everyday run-arounds.
Amid its global success and proliferation of famous production cars and jaw-dropping prototypes, Pininfarina has somehow remained most famous for its ‘Italian’ creations, producing works of genius such as the Lancia Flaminia, Alfa Romeo Spider, Ferrari Daytona and Maserati Quattroporte. The Jaguar XJ6, Rolls Royce Camargue and Peugeot 406 Coupé are not too shoddy either, reminding us that if it weren’t for the sublimely creative talent of Turin, the world would be an uglier place, populated not only with less satisfactory cars, but also losing out on the aeroplanes, boats, interiors and everyday products that this illustrious design house creates.
Some famous examples:
1936 Lancia Aprilia
1948 Cisitalia 202
1950 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT
1955 Ferrari 410 Superamerica
1955 Nash Farina
1957 Lancia Flaminia
1961 Austin A40 Farina MkII
1961 Fiat 2300
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Rondine Coupé
1965 MGB GT
1965 Ferrari Dino 206
1966 Fiat Dino Spider
1968 Ferrari Daytona
1975 Lancia Beta Montecarlo
1975 Rolls Royce Camargue
1978 Jaguar XJ6
1984 Ferrari Testarossa
1985 Peugeot 205 Cabriolet
1987 Cadillac Allante
1987 Ferrari F40
1994 Ferrari F355
1995 Alfa Romeo GTV
1997 Peugeot 406 Coupé
2003 Maserati Quattroporte
2004 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
2006 Volvo C70
2008 Rolls Royce Hyperion (prototype)
2008 Pininfarina BO Electric Car
Details:
www.pininfarina.it
