For any automotive enthusiast, the name Pininfarina is no stranger and generally correlates with quality work. He can be considered the godfather of car design because of the brand’s massive worldwide presence and that the name even rings a bell to non-car people.
Battista “Pinin” Farina started working in his brother’s body shop since the very young age of 11. He was always fascinated by design, aeronautics and flights and became commander of the Office of Aviation after having supervised the production of the “Aviatic” trainer planes during the first World War.
In 1920 at age 27, he decided to go to the US to visit and get an idea of the developments happening across the pond. Young Pinin met Henry Ford in Detroit who offered him a job, but declined and went back to Italy. His trip was really valuable as he saw the American enthusiasm towards companies like Ford, which was the motivation that pushed him to take a leap on his career.
10 years later, he decided to part from his brother and to set up the “Carrozzeria Pinin Farina” with the main goal to create special car bodies while ambitiously planing for bigger scale productions. He was keen on using the latest technologies to benefit his production line, and quickly managed to build 7/8 vehicles per day.
As years went on, the firm was working with all the best automobile brands including Ferrari and Maserati, but also took on a lot of project for more common vehicles and brands like Peugeot or Mitsubishi. The company’s diversification was key for its exposure and development, and while the course of history impacted them at different times, Pininfarina remained and delivered.
Pininfarina’s core values are Elegance, Purity and Innovation, and based on their achievements, we can say they got them right.
To back it up, here is one his best quotes “You ask me what Italian style means. It means sense of proportion, simplicity and harmony of line, such that after a considerable time, there is still something which is more alive than just a memory of beauty”
Too many amazing creations came out of the coachbuilder factory, and many marked the automobile history such as the 1947 Alfa Romeo 6C, the 1966 Ferrari 330GTS, and the Lancia 037… Let us know in the comments which of Pininfarina’s designs is your favourite!
Source – www.pininfarina.com/en
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