Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
Test Drive

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90

Let's remind some of the most interesting cars of the Italian design studio

Studio Pininfarina is much more than a longtime court designer for Ferrari and Peugeot. The Italian design studio has made a great contribution to the design of a number of brands and cars in general.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90

Pininfarina does not like unnecessary provocations and oddities, they have always preferred to rely on simple and timeless elegance. The clear, clean and timeless handwriting of the design office in Gruliasco, near Turin, has influenced the styling of many leading car brands over the years. At certain times in history, one might even say that the Pininfarina style almost decides the overall look of the car fleet in most of Europe.

Pininfarina Creators Anonymous Club

It is interesting to note that not all Pininfarina creations bear the design studio designation. The small blue emblem with the letter "f" is placed only on cases produced in small series, which were produced in the workshops in Gruliasco and Cambiano. The letter came from Farina, the surname of the founder of the studio.

Many of Pininfarina's creations travel the roads completely anonymously. Some of them are actually not even the work of an Italian bureau, but they look exactly like they were created there. Especially in the 50s, 60s and 70s, the Italian studio gained incredible popularity thanks in large part to the endless creativity of the team. Austin A30, Morris Oxford, Austin 1100/1300, Vanden Plas Princess 4-Liter R, MG B GT or Bentley T Corniche Coupé is just a small list of their achievements during the period under review.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
Bentley T Corniche Coupe

Pininfarina также превращает MG B в автомобиль GT со сложной задней частью Shooting-Brake. Да, даже тогда еще процветающий британский автопром часто обращался к Pininfarina. Alfa Romeo и Fiat уже много лет являются постоянными покупателями мастеров элегантных линий.

Sometimes their models look so reserved that they are not perceived as Pininfarina - for example, the 2000 Lancia 1969 Coupé. From the front, the car looks like an Audi 100 - timeless elegance, but for many, it's not exactly charismatic.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
Lancia 2000 Coupe 1969

Not all Pininfarina projects are impressive. However, the 1500 Fiat 1963 Cabriolet is still considered one of the brand's most elegant products, and the 1966 Fiat Dino Spider is one of Fiat's rarest and most exquisite models. To the design icons of the 50s created by maestro Pininfarina, one should undoubtedly add the Alfa Romeo 1900 Coupé and Lancia Flaminia Limousine.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
1500 Fiat 1963 Cabriolet

After the landmark Cisitalia 202 in 1947, the Florida Flaminia, based on the prototype, was a milestone in the evolution of the Pininfarina style, which in many cases proved to be fundamental to the entire industry.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
1966 Fiat Dino Spider

Pininfarina influences the design of many brands

Exactly ten years after the trapezoidal Flaminia, the studio for the four-door BMC 1800 comes out, marking the beginning of a whole new era in design. The body shape here is in accordance with the laws of aerodynamics. No wonder the NSU Ro 80 appeared in the same year. This is one of the cars that Sergio Pininfarina sincerely admires, along with the Jaguar XJ12 limousine.

Citroën CX, Rover 3500 and many other cars from this era carry the Pininfarina genes in one form or another. Even Heinrich Nordhof turned to Sergio Pininfarina for help in developing the VW 411.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
VW 411

One of the things that characterizes the history of the design studio most vividly is its relationship with Ferrari. Pininfarina has designed at least two of the most beautiful cars in Ferrari history, the 250 GT Lusso and the 365 GTB/4 Daytona. In the 50s, Enzo Ferrari and Batista Farina showed a great relationship and worked together a lot.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
Ferrari 250 GT Luxury

In general, Ferrari rarely uses bodies from other manufacturers, quite a lot of their cars come from Touring, Allemano, Boano, Michelotti and Vignale. In the 70s the famous Dino 308 GT 4 came from Bertone. Unfortunately, today the connection between Ferrari and Pininfarina is almost broken - it is less and less possible to see the blue "f" emblem on cars of the famous Rosso Corsa color.

Pininfarina became Peugeot's court designer in 1953. At that time, Sergio Pininfarina had already received a degree in mechanical engineering and took over the management of the studio from his father Batista. Batista Farina is often called "Pinin", "baby". Since 1960, the company has been officially named Pininfarina. In the same year, the Peugeot 404 made its debut, which, after the 403, became the second cornerstone in the design of mid-range models. The trapezoidal shape inherited the rounded lines of the Cisitalia era, and eight years later 504 relies on a new pragmatic style.

Sergio Pininfarina has brilliant ideas and has established himself as one of the greatest car designers, but he cannot paint as well as his father. That is why he attracts leading designers such as Paolo Martin, Leonardo Fioravanti, Tom Tjaarda to his company.

In the 70s, the studio experienced its first crisis. Ital Design and Bertone have created two serious competitors. An era of rivalry begins between Giugiaro and Pininfarina, who show their work at exhibitions such as Geneva, Paris, Turin. Pininfarina has created the Ferrari F 40, Ferrari 456, Alfa Romeo 164 and Alfa Spider, some of the most impressive designs of the recent past.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
Alfa Spider

Over the years, Pininfarina's style has often been copied quite brazenly - for example, the Ford Granada II is easily compared to a sedan based on the Fiat 130 Coupé. In the new millennium, the atelier is working with several major manufacturers - the blue “f” emblem appears on the Focus Cabriolet. The work of the Italians is also the Peugeot 406 Coupé and the second edition of the Volvo C70.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
Focus Convertible

Unfortunately, the era of individual bodybuilders has gradually passed. Major manufacturers already have their own design departments and are trying to save money, and funding for studios like L´Art pour L´Art, such as the 1980 Ferrari Pinin four-door limousine, is dwindling. Today, Pininfarina is an industrial entrepreneur with a strong interest in electromobility. It is expected that this year the Battista heavy-duty electric vehicle will appear on the market.

Pininfarina test drive: atelier turns 90
Pininfarina Battista

Today, the Pininfarina studio belongs to the Indian concern Mahindra. The head of the studio, Paolo Pininfarina, is still a member of the family of the founder, maestro Batista "Pinin" Farina.

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