Automotive design is the profession involved in the development of the appearance, and to some extent the ergonomics, of motor vehicles or more specifically road vehicles. This most commonly refers to automobiles but also refers to motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. The functional design and development of a modern motor vehicle is typically done by a large team from many different disciplines included in automotive engineers. Automotive design in this context is primarily concerned with developing the visual appearance or aesthetics of the vehicle, though it is also involved in the creation of the product concept. Automotive design is practiced by designers who usually have an art background and a degree in industrial design or transportation design.

Design elementsThe task of the design team is usually split into three main aspects: exterior design, interior design, and color and trim design. Graphic design is also an aspect of automotive design; this is generally shared amongst the design team as the lead designer sees fit. Design focuses not only on the isolated outer shape of automobile parts, but concentrates on the combination of form and function, starting from the vehicle package.The aesthetic value will need to correspond to ergonomic functionality and utility features as well. In particular, vehicular electronic components and parts will give more challenges to automotive designers who are required to update on the latest information and knowledge associated with emerging vehicular gadgetry, particularly dashtop mobile devices, like GPS navigation, satellite radio, HD radio, mobile TV, MP3 players, video playback and smartphone interfaces. Though not all the new vehicular gadgets are to be designated as factory standard items, some of them may be integral to determining the future course of any specific vehicular models.

Exterior designThe stylist responsible for the design of the exterior of the vehicle develops the proportions, shape, and surfaces of the vehicle. Exterior design is first done by a series of digital or manual drawings. Progressively more detailed drawings are executed and approved. Clay (industrial plasticine) and or digital models are developed from, and along with the drawings. The data from these models are then used to create a full sized mock-up of the final design (body in white). With 3 and 5 axis CNC Milling Machines, the clay model is first designed in a computer program and then "carved" using the machine and large amounts of clay. Even in times of high-class 3d software and virtual models on powerwalls the clay model is still the most important tool to evaluate the design of a car and therefore used throughout the industry.Interior designThe stylist responsible for the design of the vehicle interior develops the proportions, shape, placement, and surfaces for the instrument panel, seats, door trim panels, headliner, pillar trims, etc. Here the emphasis is on ergonomics and the comfort of the passengers. The procedure here is the same as with exterior design (sketch, digital model and clay model).Color and trim designThe color and trim (or color and materials) designer is responsible for the research, design, and development of all interior and exterior colors and materials used on a vehicle. These include paints, plastics, fabric designs, leather, grains, carpet, headliner, wood trim, and so on. Color, contrast, texture, and pattern must be carefully combined to give the vehicle a unique interior environment experience. Designers work closely with the exterior and interior designers.Designers draw inspiration from other design disciplines such as: industrial design, fashion, home furnishing, architecture and sometimes Product Design . Specific research is done into global trends to design for projects two to three model years in the future. Trend boards are created from this research in order to keep track of design influences as they relate to the automotive industry. The designer then uses this information to develop themes and concepts which are then further refined and tested on the vehicle models.Graphic designThe design team also develop graphics for items such as: badges, decals, dials, switches, kick or tread strips, liveries.Development processA 1986 Ford Taurus clay model on display in Ford Detroit Styling StudioIncludes the following steps:Concept sketchingClay modelingClass A surfacesScale model creationPrototype developmentComputer-aided designComputer modelingPowertrain engineeringManufacturing process designComponents

Integration of an automobile involves fitting together separate parts to form components or units and mounting these onto a frame forming the chassis.An automobile chassis basically comprises the followingThe body shell which forms the skeleton of the vehicle.The engine, is the power unit of the vehicle; which in the past has been in large part, the internal combustion engine.Transmission system which aids in transferring the drive from the engine to the wheels. Its main components are the clutch, gearbox, final drive and differential.Suspension system which is used to connect the wheels to the body or chassis frame.SteeringBrakesElectrical equipmentThe chassis is complete in itself as a road vehicle. It can drive and control itself just as in case of a complete car and therefore, in many motor works, the chassis is usually tested on the road before the complete body of the vehicle is attached as the chassis alone can behave as the propulsion means

Italy

Ferrari Testarossafrom Pininfarina Studios byLeonardo FioravantiIn Italy, where art is often considered a serious profession since Renaissance period, companies like Fiat and Alfa Romeo played a major role in car design. Many coach builders were dependent on these two major manufacturers. Italian manufacturers had a large presence in Motorsports leading to several sport car manufacturers likeFerrari,Lancia,Lamborghini,Maserati, etc. During late-1950s the elegant Italian designs gained global popularity coinciding with the modern fashion and architecture at that time around the world. Various design and technical schools inTurinturned out designers in large scale. By the late-1960s almost all Italian coach builders transformed into design studios catering to automakers around the world. The trend continued in the 1990s when theJapaneseandKoreanmanufacturers sourced designs from these styling studios.One example isPininfarinaItalian designers whose designs services were sought globally areGiovanni Michelotti,Ercole Spada,Bruno Sacco,Marcello Gandini, andGiorgetto Giugiaro.

1930 - The foundationPHOTO GALLERYOn May 22nd Battista Pinin Farina founded Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in Turin. The cmpany was designed to build special car bodies for individual customers or in small production runs. The Corso Trapani plant had 150 employees on a covered area of 9250 square meters. In June, the following news appeared on an automobile periodical: And now the popular nickname Pinin used by the whole of the Turin motoring world when talking about Battista Farina, was officially about to become used throughout the country, as a result of the recent Company changes which led to the founding of S.A. Carrozzeria Pinin Farina. At the Paris Motor Show Pinin Farina exhibited Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Isotta-Fraschini and Fiat cars. The Lancia Dilambda, the first official Pinin Farina special, appeared at the 1931 Concours dElegance at Villa dEste. His first accomplishments in the 1930s included the Hispano Suiza Coup and the Fiat 518 Ardita.In the Thirties the car was a good that was reserved for a minor lite, almost a plaything for a narrow circle of bold, blas youngsters. Yet Pinin felt sure that these unlikely, noisy jalopies, which also happened to be expensive, would change quickly to become outstanding and entirely respectable tools of individual mobility. One of the early ads says: Luxury and grand luxury cars. Cars were destined to ruling houses, diplomats, maharajahs and even some Middle East sheiks who were beginning to collect some of the first oil royalties, for actors and actresses, more foreigners than Italians. Pinin wrote: In September I sold a Dilambda spider cabriolet to the Queen of Romania, I began to have some of the nobility amongst my customers.Pinin immediately embraced the cause of modernity and aerodynamics. In his view, it was the most natural way (in so far as it was the most respondent to the nature of the object) of solving the problem of the autonomous and original formal identity of cars. Aerodynamics, he was to write in his memoirs, was the form of speed. At the 1935 Milan Motor Show Pinin exhibited the Alfa Romeo 6C Pescara Coup aerodinamico. One year later, the Lancia Astura Cabriolet tipo Bocca: elegance and craftsmanship for a small series of streamlined, richly finished cabriolets which introduced the unprecedented notion of the legitimacy of making a certain number of replicas of a custom-built model. Then the Lancia Aprilia Aerodinamica was built, a revolutionary berlinetta where an astonishing Cx of 0.40 was intuitively and empirically achieved. Aerodynamics was no longer a symbolic element, a metaphor of speed; it had now become a real standard of efficiency.

1940 - War, rebirth, famePHOTO GALLERYDestroyed by the Second World War, the Carrozzeria Pinin Farina started the production with the Lancia Aprilia Bilux. Italy, a defeated country, was excluded from participating in the Paris Motor Show. Pinin and his son Sergio set off from Turin to France driving two new cars, an Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S and a Lancia Aprilia cabriolet.When they reached the Grand Palais in Paris they parked the two cars in front of the entrance of the Motor Show, where everyone going in or out could see and admire them. The following morning they were back guarding the Show and so they continued until it closed.On the last day the Show secretary said: You have earned yourself a central stand next year. It felt to me as the war was over that day, said Pinin. It was a great success, commented on by the French press: Ce diable de Farina a ouvert son antisalon personnel. The international fame and success of Pinin Farinas factory-workshop grew from that moment and with increasing vigour from the early Fifties onwards.Pinin Farina created the Cisitalia 202, first car in the world permanently displayed in a Museum of Modern Art, namely the MoMA in New York, as one of the eight outstanding cars of our time: Running Sculpture, according to the definition of Arthur Drexler, the Cisitalia was realised on tubular chassis and manufactured in limited series with aluminium body welded to a skeleton of fine sheet steel. Its design marked a decisive turnpoint of the automotive style. Pinin wrote: I knew that the old shapes were out. Cars had to have pure, smooth, essential lines too. It was a model which suddenly escaped from my hands, not my life. It went off along mysterious roads, towards its destiny (cars have destinies too, you will realise it if you go to markets, shows and car museums).

1950 - From the artigianal dimension to the industrial onePHOTO GALLERYFerrari and Pinin? It wont last. Its like putting two Prima Donna in the same opera. This was the general opinion bandied round the automotive environment in the Fifties. However, since Pinin and Enzo Ferrari met, their combined marques have defined some of the most beautiful cars ever built in a constantly evolving relationship that has now lasted for about 60 years. Back in 1951, initially, Ferrari let Pinin Farina know that he would like to meet him and invited him to Modena. The reply was: I am very willing to meet him but I would rather he came first to Turin. He was informed that Ferrari rarely leaves Maranello. The negotiation seemed to have a ground to a halt. But his son Sergio found the solution: a meeting on neutral ground. In the end, they finally shook hands at a restaurant in Tortona half way between Turin and Modena. Pinin gave Sergio the dual responsibility of designing all bodies for Ferrari and maintaining contacts between the two companies and their respective technical offices. In 1951 the Ferrari 212 saw the light to be followed, in 1954, by the 250 GT.The Pinin Farina style also conquered the American cinema, with the movie Sabrina by Billy Wilder, starring Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Humphrey Bogart and the Nash Healey Spider. The car, designed and manufactured in Italy for the U.S.A. market, underlined the Pinin Farina international vocation. Pinin returned for the second time to the United States for the unveiling of the Ambassador, designed by him, and of the Nash Healey, planned and built in limited series at his Turin plant. He was warmly welcomed and showered with manifestations of respect and esteem. This was the first time in the history of American automobile companies that the name of a designer became famous. At the 1954 Bruxelles Motor Show made its debut the Lancia Aurelia B24 S: the mass-produced special, the queen of desires, and protagonist of the movie Il Sorpasso by Dino Risi, with Vittorio Gassman. One of the best-looking cars ever, it was eminently suitable for speeding along the Californian highways: many of the 761 units produced were sold in the United States, opening up a significant export flow.In 1955, with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, the so-called by Pinin fair girl, the decisive passage to the industrial dimension (more than 27,000 units manufactured). Exhibited as a world premiere at the Turin Motor Show, the Giulietta Spider achieved world-wide success.

This small masterpiece, originally conceived solely with the idea of exporting it to U.S.A., was in fact swept throughout the length and breadth of Europe by popular demand. A cooperation agreement with Peugeot started in the same year. In 1956 the new manufacturing plant in Grugliasco was under construction: it will be finished by 1958. On show at the 1957 Turin Motor Show the Lancia Florida II, a design milestone with stylistic elements which influenced for many years the world-wide production. This was the personal car of the Founder: I recall that car-maker from Detroit, Olds, who used to live and sleep in his car. And I live in my Florida.In 1959 the Ferrari 250 GT Short Wheel Base was born as the Ferrari epitome. Archetype of the Ferrari-Pininfarina technical-aesthetic process of evolution, it expressed sporty performance and timeless elegance. Presented at the Paris Motor Show, it was produced two years later in 200 units. In 1960 the Pininfarina X was presented: a perfect combination of scientific research with an original and revolutionary shape. The rhomboid arrangement of the four wheels and the exceptional drag coefficient allowed to obtain, with the same performance, higher top speed and lower consumption. During the design phase I did only see two factors, the car and its air penetration; this is why I designed some bold, wing-profile bodies said Pinin. In the same period the amazing Fiat Abarth Monoposto made its debut: the fascination of the pure speed in eight international and one world records.

Pinin's heredityPHOTO GALLERYAt the age of 68, Pinin turned his firm over to his son Sergio and his son-in-law, Renzo Carli. The President of the Italian Republic Gronchi authorized the change of the family name. On June 6th 1961 I had received the presidential decree which changed the surname Farina into Pininfarina, for me, my children and my grandchildren. It was an unusual occurrence, and the motivation said that one aspect of Italian industry and design had become well-known abroad thanks to the name Pinin Farina, and so the change, or rather the fusion of the name with the surname, now backed up by law, sanctioned a usage which was already predominant everywhere. At the 1963 Paris Motor Show the Chevrolet Corvette Rondine debuted anticipating the stylistic solution of the Fiat 124 Sport Spider rear part. On show at the Turin Motor Show the Pininfarina Sigma, a bodywork study with 14 technical safety solutions, 8 of which will be currently used in the production of the cars in the future.

On April 3rd 1966 Battista Pininfarina died in Lausanne and Sergio Pininfarina became the Chairman of Pininfarina. Nothing apparently changed, if we consider the formal quality of the design work of his successors, when the Founder left the scene. Pininfarinas design continued to be the result of a singular balance between a mixture of different qualities, such as design sensitivity, taste, technical research and innovation. This vocation led, still in 1966, to the inauguration of the Studies and Research Centre in Grugliasco. So Pininfarina helped to define design projects as a partner involved in every aspect of the product, not just its styling. What remained, finally, was the capacity to carry on a fruitful collaboration with clients, which has lasted for decades and which has given rise to different generations of models.In 1966, at the Geneva Motor Show, made its debut the Alfa Romeo 1600 Spider, later to be known as the Duetto, made famous by the film The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman: radically revamped and with different names, it continued to be built by Pininfarina until 1993 (140,000 units). On show at the Turin Motor Show the Fiat 124 Sport Spider, which soon became one of the most successful models of Pininfarina (200,000 units), exported in large numbers to North America. The confidence in the resolutive capabilities of science gave rise to hefty investment in research and the acquisition of increasingly advanced equipment and plants. Towards the end of the Sixties, the setting up of a Centro di Calcolo e Disegno equipped with DEA Touching Machines was a decisive step on the road to design automation, which was to be developed in the subsequent decades.

1970 - Studies and ResearchesPHOTO GALLERYIn the mid-Seventies, following the Kippur War, the price of oil suddenly shot up and the prospect of a definitive scarcity of fuel loomed threateningly on the horizon. As a result, the issue of aerodynamics was once more at the centre of attention in the world car industry. Thanks to the insight of its young Chairman, Sergio, Pininfarina possessed the instrument to measure scientifically the relationship between cars and their capacity for aerodynamic penetration. It was thus able to offer clients a service which had become a crucial part of the design process.In the second half of the Seventies, Sergio Pininfarina became more and more convinced of the need to drastically separate the Centro Studi e Ricerche from the industrial part also to give greater visibility to the creative sector, at the same time ensuring the confidentiality appropriate for delicate dealings with an increasingly broad range of demanding international clients. In 1978, in the middle of the worst crisis the car industry had ever suffered, work began on the building of the Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche in Cambiano. Once again going against the trend, the project required hefty investment, not to mention great courage.

Sergio Pininfarina, designer and businessmanPHOTO GALLERYIn the Eighties, period of market revival, Pininfarina started to offer its clients an even better, more comprehensive design service from a tailor-made centre equipped with all the facilities needed to develop a creative activity such as body design. In the meanwhile, design activities extended to other means of transportation and industrial design: in 1986, at Cambiano, Pininfarina Extra was created. In the meanwhile, design activities extended to other means of transportation and industrial design: in 1986, at Cambiano, Pininfarina Extra was created.In 1986 the Company was quoted at the Stock Exchange, opened a new manufacturing plant in San Giorgio Canavese and presented the Allant at the Paris Motor Show: or this luxury convertible Cadillac availed itself of the design and manufacturing capacity of Pininfarina (22,000 units were built), which supplied Detroit with completely finished bodies via an airbridge flown by Alitalia, from Caselle Airport. With the Mythos concept, Pininfarina was the first among the independent design companies all over the world to take part at the Tokyo Motor Show, in 1989, and won the Car Design Award 1990. Sergio Pininfarinas role within the creative process was so important and incisive that in 1995 he was awarded the Compasso dOro for his career, the same prize his father Pinin had won forty years earlier. Significant too his institutional role: among the main past positions, Chairman of Industrial Association of Turin (1978-1984), Member of the European Parliament (1979-1988), President of Confindustria-Confederation of Italian Industries (1988-1992).

1990 - Expansion of the production's activitiesPHOTO GALLERYThe Nineties were marked by the setting up of Pininfarina Deutschland GmbH, operating in the German market in the field of car engineering, tooling and model making, and in particular by the production activity growing. Between 1992 and 1994 the range manufactured by Pininfarina was renewed with four new models: the Ferrari 456 GT, the Coup Fiat, the Peugeot 306 Cabriolet and the Bentley Azure. In 1996 production of the Lancia k Station Wagon and the Peugeot 406 Coup were added. Designed and developed by Pininfarina, the French Coup received many prizes for the excellence of its design, among which The Most Beautiful Coup of the World 1997 and Car Design Award 1997.Pininfarinas industrial expansion continued with the opening of a third manufacturing plant in Bairo, following the historical Grugliasco plant and the San Giorgio one, opened in 1986. At the 1998 Turin Motor Show the Alfa Romeo Dardo debuted, a pure formal study of a spider with a powerful impact, awarded Car of the Year.

2000 - Tradition and innovationPHOTO GALLERYThe inauguration of the Engineering Centre of Cambiano, in 2002, represented the decision to reposition the Company, putting engineering services on the market: an organisational challenge in terms of the emphasis on quality and quantity of a service that was no longer dedicated primarily to Pininfarina internal production, but developed and structured also for third parties. The new structure made it possible to further expand the range of services that the Company could offer to Customers and which, together with those of styling and niche production, made Pininfarina a flexible task force able to take responsibility for the creation of a new turn-key product or for one or more stages of the development process. The internationalization process made a step forward through the establishment of Pininfarina Sverige AB in Sweden, a joint venture with Volvo Cars responsible for producing a new generation of convertible Volvo cars.

While the partnership with Ferrari was still going on, the one with Maserati started again after 50 years: besides designing the multi-award winning Quattroporte, Pininfarina celebrated 75 years of activity with the world debut, at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, of the concept Birdcage 75th, realized in collaboration with Maserati and Motorola, winner of the Best Concept Award. An engineering centre was inaugurated in Casablanca, Morocco, and partnerships with OEMs of emerging markets, China above all, increased. The Pininfarina design, even beyond automobile, definitely proved itself: Paolo Pininfarina collected the Red Dot: Design Team of the Year Award for the best design team in 2004. Those were the time of the shift from second to third generation: on May 12 2006 the Board of Directors elected Andrea Pininfarina Chairman and CEO and Paolo Pininfarina Deputy Chairman. Sergio Pininfarina was elected Honorary Chairman by unanimous voice vote.Pininfarina contributed to the success of Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games designing and manufacturing the Olympic Torch. The Torch has a close relationship with the car because for us design is aesthetics applied to function and use, said Andrea Pininfarina. Consistently with its vocation towards innovation, Pininfarina announced the development of the first Italian electric car in partnership with Bollor, thus anticipating big OEMs on the ecomobility theme, and presented the Sintesi concept, which explored solutions for the car of the future. In the wake of tradition, reinterpreting its craftsmanly roots, the Company started again to offer collectors of exclusive one-off models a chance to create their own dream car. Just some days before the debut at Pebble Beach of the Hyperion one-off, on August 7th 2008, Andrea was the victim of a traffic accident while driving to his office. His brother Paolo was elected Chairman.

2010 - Pininfarina, today and tomorrow

Starting from its roots and from the solid reputation achieved during 80 years of glorious history, Pininfarina is today redesigning its business model and its strategy for the upcoming future. In its genes, Pininfarina today is the same as it was in the Thirties: the central role of design, aesthetic sensitivity capable of creating timeless beauty, constant striving for innovation, the strength of a tradition that brings together industry, technology and stylistic research, the capacity to interpret the clients requirements without emptying the brand of its identity, and a propensity for long-term collaborations. These values, together with the commitment of the entire Group, will enable us to build a bridge towards the future said Paolo Pininfarina. Following the sale of the business operations related to the Grugliasco plant, Pininfarina has now achieved the optimal size to develop its future business, focused on three main pillars: industrial design services, sustainable mobility and brand extension.

HISTORYCOLLABORATIONS

Alfa Romeo

Almost seventy years of collaboration between Pininfarina and Alfa Romeo.A collaboration that has quite naturally extended to all the key features of Pininfarina's activities: the construction of one-off specials to the order of individual customers, ad vanced styling research, design and the production of special low-volume models, all in keeping with and sometimes way ahead of the firm's gradual development.Alfa Romeo was already a marque with a striking image, one that had come of age and trodden the first of its peaks of fame - a hat trick of outright firsts in the old Mille Miglia - when the stripling Pininfarina was given che chance of adding the supercharged 6C 1750 Gran Sport to its sheaf of prestige creations, along with those for Hispano-Suiza, Isotta Fraschini and Lancia.

Ferrari

Ferrari and Pinin? It wont last. Its like putting two Prima Donna in the same opera. This was the general opinion bandied round the automotive environment in the Fifties. Rash forecasts subsequently belied by facts. Since these two giants met, their combined marques have defined some of the most beautiful cars ever built in a constantly evolving relationship that has now lasted for 60 years and shows no sign of ending, as confirmed by the around 200 Ferraris designed by Pininfarina to-date. Enzo Ferrari was born in 1898 and founded his Scuderia Ferrari in 1929, starting to build cars in 1947.

Fiat

The 1999 marks a significant anniversary: Fiat's Centenary.To celebrate the anniversary Pininfarina played an active part in the project organized by Italian Coachbuilders, displaying 70 of the cars that best represent the historic relationship with the Fiat Company on two of Turin's most beautiful squares, in July 1999. Pininfarina also intended to pay homage to Fiat realizing Wish a research prototype built on the mechanical of the new Fiat Punto.

GM

During the 30's, car body makers often are called upon to design one-of-a-kind custom models. In 1931, Pininfarina produced one such unique model as a spider version of a V16 Cadillac for the Maharajah of Orccha. This is the first contact between the car body maker and General Motors. General Motors means the United States, and Pinin has had his eye on the New World automobile companies for a long time. For him they represent the future of the industry. Pinin Farina quickly wins international fame for his car bodies.

LANCIA

Lancia and Pininfarina: a couple that made their combined debut in 1930 as a result of a long antecedent. Vincenzo Lancia, a successful entrepreneur, had been a regular customer at the Stabilimenti Farina over the two previous decades as Battista Farina. Lancia decided to back it up through his own direct involvement as a minority partner. This explains why so many Lancia Dilambda Pininfarina car models began to appear within a few months of the inauguration of the new bodybuilding concern: a massive commitment, not least in financial terms, which perhaps Pinin would not have been able to cope with if left to his own resources.

Maserati

Maserati Quattroporte, with bodywork created and designed by Pininfarina, marked a new step of the prodigious rebirth of the Trident Brand fostered by the Ferrari-Maserati Group and a new phase of the historic cooperation between Maserati and Pininfarina. With Maserati Quattroporte, presented in 2003 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Maserati reaffirmed its renewed image, in step with leading edge technology and in line with its own historical past. The Quattroporte represents a cornerstone of this great tradition, having been an important element in Maserati production since 1963.

Chinese Market

Pininfarina was the first independent Italian design house to sign an agreement with the Chinese motor industry, in 1996. During the years Pininfarina has widened the range of activities developing projects for different Chinese companies: AviChina (Hafei), Chery, Changfeng, Brilliance, JAC.

Peugeot

Peugeot and Pininfarina have been working together since 1951 when Peugeot decided to call in an independent design house to create its new 403 Saloon with the aim to createa distinctive lasting look.It opted for Pininfarina, a design house with an established international reputation for a style that combined classicism, inventiveness and personality.The new Peugeot saloon which came out in 1955 was a bigger success than the French firm had ever dreamed of, in the end over a milion units were produced, an unimaginable figure for the period.Battista Pininfarina

Battista Pinin Farina was born in Turin, November 2, 1893.In 1961, the President of the Italian Republic, acting on a proposal made by the Minister of Justice, authorized the change of his last name to Pininfarina in consideration of his achievements in social and industrial activities.At age 11 he began working in his brother Giovanni's bodyshop, the "Stabilimenti Farina". During the First World War he personally supervised the construction of the "Aviatic" trainer planes, for which he received a commendation from the Office of Military Aviation.In 1920, he went to the United States to see America and judge first hand the great developments in that country. In Detroit he met with Henry Ford, who asked him to stay in America and work for Ford Motor Company, but Pininfarina preferred to return to Italy. However, this American visit was of great value, not so much for new technological information as for the glimpse of the enthusiasm that private enterprise instilled in the American people. The feverish pace of the American life impressed him and encouraged him to take up the challenge of his lifetime.In 1920, he married Rosa Copasso. They had two children, Gianna, born in 1922 and Sergio, born in 1926.Pininfarina always showed great interest in man's tenacious efforts to develop technology. He felt drawn by the automobile and was fascinated by aeronautics and flight. In 1921 he drove the winning vehicle in the "Aosta-Gran San Bernardo" race, setting the best time for all categories of vehicles in competition, even though the car he drove was his own personal vehicle and not a racing sports model. His record was unbroken for 11 years.In 1930, he left "Stabilimenti Farina" and founded ''Carrozzeria Pinin Farina".His plan was to build special car bodies, but he aimed at eventually expanding beyond the level of manual craftsmanship. He wanted to transform car body manufacturing into an independent industry, giving employment to increasing numbers of people. With this in mind, he equipped the factory with new industrial tools and procedures. In brief time he had assembled a production line able to turn out small series of vehicles at a rythm of 7/8 vehicles per day.Even before the Second World War, his plant in Corso Trapani had produced car bodies of revolutionary design, prefiguring the lines automobiles would have in the future. Before the war Pininfarina had established contacts with foreign car companies: General Motors sought his cooperation as did Renault. The war interrupted these contacts.After the war, Pininfarina designed and produced, among other things, the 1946 "Cisitalia" shown in the Museum of Modern Art in New York as "one of the eight outstanding cars of our time". It was defined as the best expression of simplicity and beauty of design in the automotive field. It set the standards for the post-war era automobile. Twenty years later, the Museum of Modern Art in New York would present another Pininfarina vehicle, the "Sigma", a prototype of safety car that would receive praise world-wide and especially in the United States.Immediately after the war, several automotive manufacturers opened talks with Pininfarina. Collaboration began with the American Company, Nash Motor of Detroit (now the American Motors Co.). In 1952, Pininfarina returned to the United States for the unveiling of the "Ambassador", which he had designed, and the Nash Healey, planned and built in limited series at his Turin plant. He was warmly welcomed and showered with manifestations of respect and esteem.That was the first time in the history of American automobile companies that the name of a designer became famous.In the following years many automotive manufacturers would turn to him for the planning of new models for the assembly line.In 1958, Pininfarina completed the construction of a new plant, built according to the most modern standards, covering an area of 75,000 sqm. The covered surface was 40,000 sqm. A series of subsequent industrial expansions brought the surface area of the grounds to 102,500 sqm, 50,000 of which are covered. This meant a notable increase in production and personnel.In 1961, after 50 years of activity, Pininfarina turned over the direction of the firm to his son, Sergio, and his son-in-law, Renzo Carli. This change, nonetheless, assured the continuation of Pinin's work, since they took place as designers as well as industrial managers.Pininfarina travelled widely, made films, but above all, he dedicated his time to cultural and charitable works. For the celebration of the Centenary of the Unification of Italy, he presided over the "Fashion-Style Costume Show", highlighting the development of man and his environment from the "belle-epoque" to the missile era.In 1964, a Professional and Recreational Complex in Grugliasco was opened. Pininfarina instigated this complex as a demonstration of his enthusiasm for all that could contribute to the cultural and professional formation of young workers.In 1966, about one month before his death (happened on April 3 1966), Pininfarina appears in public at the inauguration of the Pininfarina Studies and Research Center, sharing the occasion with the President of the Republic.Last among the many honors and tributes he received during his life, Pininfarina received the "Lgion d'Honneur from the General De Gaulle. Over his sixty years of professional activity, Pininfarina was named "Cavaliere del Lavoro and "Honorary Member of the Royal Society of Arts of London" as "Honorary Royal Designer for Industry", He was later named "Fellow" of the same Society. King Baldovino of Belgium decorated him, at the suggestion of the Union Professionnelle du Ministre des Affaires Economiques.Pininfarina was named Honorary Member of the Engineer and Architect Society of Turin, which later granted him the Premio Torino.He received the Gran Premio Nazionale Compasso d'Oro. He received recognition from the Paris Society for the Encouragement of Research and Invention, the Gran Croce con Placca of the Order of Malta, a degree Honoris Causa from the faculty of Architecture at the Turin Polytechnic Institute. The President of the Italian Republic conferred upon him the gold medal for education, culture and art.Also, during his trip around the world, Pininfarina was given a golden key to the city of Detroit by its major, with honorary citizenship.Here are some of the comments explaining the granting of such honors:As the automobile industry has developed since 1930, Pininfarina worked on the problem of vehicle conformation. After a long period and rigorous elaboration of form, he has created the plasticity of line so influential in industrial production and in the determination of aesthetic standards for the automobile.(Gran Premio Nazionale Compasso d'Oro, 1957)."Matre incontest de l'arodynamyque automobile, joint une parfaite matrise de cette technique, un vritable talent d'artiste.A conu de nombreuses formes de voitures automobiles, aussi savantes que esthtiques.D'une richesse dinventions sans cesse renouvels, ses crations ont marqu dfinitivement et mondialement l'industrie de la Haute Carrosserie comme celle de la Grande Comptition".(Socit d'Encouragement pour la Recherche et l'Invention, Paris 1961)."Since the war we have exported nearly 2,900,000 vehicles. Today we have over 150 world markets to sustain. Therefore, to adapt the normal arithmetical terms, we had to find the greatest uncommon denominator. The answer was Pininfarina".(British Motor Co. during a seminary of industrial design, Amsterdam 1961)."Pininfarina est sans conteste le plus prestigieux des carrossiers du monde et ses ralisations sont connues et admires par tous. Mais Pininfarina nest pas seulement l'aptre de la bont, et son esprit social gale son immense gnie...Gran europen, il se consacre avec son extraordinnaire dynamisme et son esprit artistique consomm a lentente internationale et l'amiti des peuples, considrant que beaucoup plus de choses doivent les unir que les diviser".(Grand Officier de l'Ordre International du Bien Public. Paris 1962).Pininfarina, world famous master of industrial design, developer of building techniques for car bodies and creator, in Turin, of the Italian style in Architecture of the automobile.(Premio Torino, 1963).Unquestioned master of architectonic building techniques for automobiles, Pininfarina has a perfect knowledge of this technology and of automotive aerodynamics. He has true and prestigious artistic talent, coupled with a creative imagination dedicated to innovation. Such gifts as these have enable him to create marvelously harmonious car bodies, pure in line, distinctive in decor.(Degree ''Honoris Causa" in Architecture, Turin 1963).

Andrea Pininfarina

To think, draw, design and build cars is not only an enthralling mental process. Nor is it simply a business choice. It is also and above all a great social responsibility.Andrea Pininfarina (1957-2008)Andrea Pininfarina was born in Turin on 26 June 1957.He graduated in Mechanical Engineering at Turin Polytechnic in 1981 and began his working career the year after, at the Freuehauf Corp. in the United States.He returned to Italy in 1983 and entered the family firm, first as Project Coordinator, then as Program Manager. In 1987 he was appointed Joint General Manager of Industrie Pininfarina S.p.A. and a year later General Manager. In 1994 he became Chief Executive Officer and, in 2000, Chief Executive of Pininfarina Ricerca e Sviluppo Spa. From 2001 he was Chief Executive of the parent company Pininfarina S.p.A.. In 2006 he also took on the position of Chairman.In this period, Andrea Pininfarina who, from 1997, was also a member of the Council of the Italian Manufacturers Association (Confindustria), joined the Boards of a number of companies and banks (Alenia Aeronautica S.p.A., Banca Passadore & C S.p.A., Poltrona Frau S.p.A.) and became Chairman of Unicredit Infrastrutture S.p.A.Between the end of the Nineties and the early years of the new century, Andrea Pininfarina held a number of institutional positions: President of AMMA Associazione Metallurgici Meccanici e Affini (from June 1996 to June 2000), President of Federmeccanica - Federazione Sindacale Industria Metalmeccanica Italiana (from July 1997 to June 2001), President of WEM Western European Metal Trades Employers Organization (from September 1998 to September 2000), President of ITP Investments in Turin and Piedmont (from June 1998 to January 2003), President of the Turin Industrialists Union (from July 2000 to May 2004), President of Confindustria Piemonte (from October 2003 to May 2004), and Confindustria Vice President for the Centro Studi (from May 2004 to May 2008).Andrea Pininfarinas career was studded with numerous public awards and honours, among which noteworthy were the titles of Chevalier de la Lgion dHonneur of the French Republic (2003) and Cavaliere al Merito del Lavoro of the Italian Republic (2005).On the morning of 7 August 2008, on his way to work, Andrea Pininfarina was the victim of a tragic road accident. He leaves his wife, Cristina Pellion di Persano, and three children: Benedetta, Sergio e Luca.As chairman of Pininfarina S.p.A., witness to the continuity within the company and the unity of the family, he is succeeded by his brother Paolo.

SERGIO PININFARINA

Biography

Sergio Pininfarina was born in Turin on September 8, 1926. He graduated in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic of Torino in 1950, then he began his career in the family firm, Carrozzeria Pinin Farina; in 1960, he undertook the responsibility of General Manager of the firm; in 1961 he became also Managing Director and in 1966, at his fathers death, he took over the Chairmanship of the Company; in 2006 he became Honorary Chairman. In 1961, the President of the Italian Republic, Giovanni Gronchi, changed by decree the name Farina in Pininfarina. In 2005 he was appointedLife Senator for honouring the Country by high merits in the social field.

Among themost significant stages of his activity in Pininfarina: from 1955 to 1958, the planning and the construction of new facilities at Grugliasco (Torino); the construction of the new Studies and Research Centre inaugurated in 1966; in 1972, the Wind Tunnel on 1:1 scale started its activities, the first in Italy and one of the few in the world; in 1979, Pininfarina took the form of an holding Company; in 1982, a new company Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche S.p.A. was settled at Cambiano (Torino); in 1986, a new plant in San Giorgio Canavese - near Turin - started operating; in the same year, Pininfarina successfully entered the Italian Stock Exchange; in 1986, with the setting up the company Pininfarina Extra S.r.l., the Pininfarina Group enlarged its design activities towards all the areas of the industrial design, beyond the traditional one of the means of transport; in 1987 a new plant in Bairo Canavese is acquired; in 1991 Pininfarina Deutschland GmbH was set up; in 2002 it is inaugurated in Cambiano the new Engineering Centre; in 2003 the incorporation of the new Company Pininfarina Sverige AB.

Mainpast positionsinclude: From 1974 to 1977 he has been professor of Car Body Design at the Polytechnic of Torino. President of the Industrial Association of Torino (1978-1984); Member of the European Parliament (1979-1988); President of the Federation of Industrial Associations of Piedmont (1983-1988); President of International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (1987-1989); President of Confindustria (1988-1992); Board Member of AUME (Association for the Monetary Union of Europe, 1989-1997); Vice President of UNICE (Union of Industrial and Employers Confederations of Europe, 1990-1994); President of Comitato Leonardo - Italian Quality Committee (1993-1996); Co-President of Comitato per la Direttrice Ferroviaria Europea Transpadana (1991-2001); President of Banca CRT (2001-2002); Chief of the Italian delegation in the Intergovernmental Italian- French Commission for the new high-speed railway link between Lyon and Turin (2001-2005); Chairman FIDIA S.p.A. (1996-2006); Co-President Italy-Japan Business Group (2004-2007); Chairman Editrice La Stampa S.p.A. (2004-2008); Member of the Board of Directors of Ferrari S.p.A. (1969-2011).

Sergio Pininfarina received numeroushonours. The main are: he was appointed Cavaliere del Lavoro by the President of the Italian Republic (1976); Lgion dHonneur (Chevalier, 1979, and Officier, 1997), Honorary Royal Designer for Industry (1983), Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (1988), Designer Lifetime Achievement Award (1991), Super Trophe de lAutomobile Magazine (1992), Guglielmo Tagliacarne award (1994) , the Italy in the World award (1994), the Career Award Compasso dOro (1995), the France-Italie Award (1997), Lion dOro (1998), Trophe du design (1998), Premio Leonardo (1999), Head of the Century in the International Automotive Hall of Fame (2001), the award Torino libera (2001), Business and Culture Award (2003), Palme dOr du Festival Automobile International (2005), Automotive Hall of Fame of Dearborn, Michigan (2007); European Automotive Hall of Fame of Geneva (2008).

He received4 Honorary Degrees: in 1993 the Honorary Degree in Economics and Commerce by the LUISS-Rome; in 2002 the one of the Royal College of Art of London and the one in Industrial Design of the Polytechnic of Milano; in 2004 the one as Doctor of Fine Arts from the College for Creative Studies-CCS of Detroit.

Architecture & Interiors

Pininfarina represents today one of the most prestigious brands in theArchitecture and Interior Designin the fields ofresidential,hospitality,sportandcommercial structures.DESIGN IDENTITYThrough the years we have transferred in every single architectural concept both of external and internal structures,the values of elegance,essentialityandinnovationthat have historically characterized the Pininfarina identity both in the automotive and in the industrial design projects.DESIGN PROCESSIn every project, from the very first concept exploration to the schematic design, our peculiar design vision and iconic lineis melt with our client's culture, mission and values in order to match at best its objectives.

KEATING HOTELWHAT

The Keating Hotel is the first luxury Boutique Hotel in San Diego, a blend of Italian styling and sophisticated, personalised service. Designed by Pininfarina, at its first experience of hotel design, the Keating is located in a building dating to 1890 in the Gaslamp Quarter at the heart of the California town.The hotel has 35 rooms on four floors, 72 beds, eight suites and an interior with an uncluttered, ergonomic, essential style in the best Pininfarina tradition, where the beauty of the forms blends with practicality in every detail.In May 2008, the Keating was proclaimed the first winner of the Earth-Minded Awards by Hospitality Design magazine and by the American Society of Interior Designers. It received the award because the project provides a possible solution to the issue of sustainability. In June of the same year, the Keating was listed among the 33 best new business hotels by the prestigious international magazine Fortune, which travelled the world with the design bible Wallpaper, looking for the loveliest and most hospitable spots for businessmen.

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External architecture and interior designThe Tifon Water Planet, for which Pininfarina will be authoring the external architecture and interior design, proposes innovative architectural solutions for garaging boats and providing specific services such as mechanical repairs and maintenance. Customers will then be able to complete their experience in comfort zones such as the restaurant area and bar, the marine centre and the shopping area. Pininfarina design will be a further factor in making this an outstanding project, lending exclusiveness to the experience of customers using the Tifon Water Planet.

THE PRIVATE CHAPELWHAT Go to design story: JUVENTUS STADIUM Go to design story: METALCO ANTARES Read more

A metal and glass sculpture immersed in greeneryThe Private Chapel in Riardo designed by Pininfarina for the Perrella family was consecrated recently. This was Pininfarina's first experience in the field of religious architecture and the team instilled in the project the values that have always been Pininfarina's hallmark: modernity and respect of nature. The result is a small shining jewel that blends perfectly into the mountain landscape that surrounds it.

WORK DESIGN IN PROGRESSThe official launch of the project Millecento Residences, a luxury condo whose interiors have been signed by Pininfarina, has just taken place in Miami. More than 300 brokers, clients and local VIP participated to the event. This important appointment marks only the first step: the 42-story tower that will be realized by Related Group, the number one developer of luxury condo and multi-family residences, marked the debut of Pininfarina in the residential design in US.