Who is Sergio Pininfarina? He’s the man responsible for the look of that Ferrari you taped to your wall as a kid. He’s the man responsible for shaping the design of that little Alfa Romeo Dustin Hoffman drove in The Graduate. He’s one of the most influential automotive designers in the history of the industry.
He passed away last week at the age of 85, but not without shaping a life and legacy few will ever be able to come close to matching. Our sister publication’s “Wide Open Throttle” video segment paid tribute to his achievements, outlining not only his contributions to the automotive industry, but also his achievements outside of it.
Pininfarina, the former head of the design house that bears his family’s name, starting designing cars at age 13 and took over his family’s company in 1966. Under his tenure, the firm expanded its business from just design to short-run production. It branched out from simply designing exotic cars to producing mass-market vehicles.
Sergio Pininfarina’s influence stretched outside the realm of cars, though, as he pursued a career in European politics and earned four honorary degrees during his lifetime. He helped shape Italian government as much as he helped shape an industry’s style and direction. From the Ferrari Testarossa to the Audi Fox, he designed what people drove. The next logical question to ask is whether another designer will ever have as much influence as him in the auto industry.
Source: Motor Trend via YouTube
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