Design house Pininfarina has been in business for 85 years (since 1930) and, according to Car Magazine, the company isn’t about to let that achievement pass by quietly.
In those 85 years, Pininfarina has designed everything from toothbrushes to high-speed trains to drink fountains. But the company is most famous for its long history of car design. Pininfarina has styled some of the greatest Ferraris ever made including the Enzo, 212 Inter, 365 GTB/4 Daytona, and the Testarossa of the ’80s and ’90s.
Some of the brands most influential and beautiful cars will be trotted out on June 13th as part of the Parco Valentino car festival in Turin. Pininfarina will hold a special concours competition at the event for designs with awards for “Best in Show” and “Most Elegant Car.”
Reason #8. The concepts inspired by passion. There is no better example than the Pininfarina P4/5.
David Grainger, National Post
Some of the cars expected to be in attendance include a 1947 Cisitalia 202, Alfa Romeo Duetto similar to the one used in The Graduate, the P4/5 commissioned by Ferrari collector Jim Glickenhaus and an extremely rare Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Speciale similar to the one we recently featured.
Pininfarina’s designs of the 1940s utilized unique design features that made them look far more modern than their contemporaries. In a time when most manufacturers designed cars with large, pontoon-like front fenders, Pininfarina integrated them neatly with the hood giving us the modern front end profile that became commonplace in the 1950s. Austin actually bought a 6C 2500 to use as a design inspiration for the 1949 Austin Atlantic.
Pininfarina’s long history with Ferrari began with the absolutely perfectly proportioned 212 Inter of the early 1950s. The car sported a tiny 2.6L V12 with pistons that were surely the size of thimbles. It was to be a first in a long line of beautiful Pininfarina-styled Ferraris.
Pininfarina Ferraris
Supplied, Pininfarina
The design house flourished in the 1960s and produced a host of landmark designs including the timeless Alfa Romeo Duetto (the same basic design survived until the 1990s), the iconic Dino 206 and 246, and the humble but pretty Fiat 850 Spider.
The automotive landscape has changed constantly and quickly since Pininfarina was established in 1930. But the company has done an impressive job of staying on top of and in front of the trends in a fast-paced industry. There have been a few misses along the way (Modulo, 612 Scaglietti, and the Sergio to name a few) but the company continues to be a leader in design.
