Andrea Pininfarina, 51, has died as the result of a road traffic accident in Turin on August 7th. He was the first of three children for Sergio and Giorgia Pininfarina, and died after a car collided with the Vespa scooter he was riding to the company’s design and R&D center in Cambiano.
Born in June 1957, he was called Pinin like his grandfather, but in June 1961, Giovanni Gronchi, president of the Republic of Italy signed a decree that legally allowed the family to change their surname from Farina to Pininfarina, so the first-born reverted to Andrea as his Christian name. It was also at this time that the company changed its name to Carrozzeria Pininfarina.
Andrea was born into a period of massive change sweeping through the global automotive industry. In Italy, neither Pininfarina nor any of the myriad other carrozzerie could continue working in their traditional ways if they wanted to survive. Many didn’t, of course, but Pininfarina set a course towards not only survival but also development into the foremost company of its type in the world.
The first fruits of this were collaborations with outside companies such as Austin, Peugeot, and Alfa Romeo. A production line was constructed in a new factory in Grugliasco, and a wind-tunnel built in 1972.
All during this time Andrea had been developing his skills. He decided, with persuasion from his father, not to study economics, instead earning his degree in mechanical engineering at the Turin Polytechnic. For three months he went to learn at the Pininfaina Studi e Ricerche in new premises at Cambiano. America was seen as potentially the company’s most important market, so he went to Kelsey-Hayes for five months in 1982, followed by three months at Fiat America.
His first major project was responsibility for the Cadillac Allante program, coordinating the shipment of car parts from the United States to Turin, the building of the bodies at a new factory at San Giorgio Canavese and return shipment of the semi-completed products for final finishing.
In 1988 he was appointed general manager of Industrie Pininfarina SpA which is the company that oversees the many branches of the eponymous firm.
Vintage Racecar extends its sympathy to the Pininfarina family for their loss.
By Peter Collins
