Carrozzeria Pininfarina celebrated its 85th anniversary in Turin from June 11 to 14 with an impressive exhibition and Concorso d'Eleganza.
From farm boy to famous designer
Pininfarina is Italy's last major independent design and development studio, and Pininfarina is one of the very biggest names in automotive design. But the beginnings were literally small: Battista Farina was born in 1893 as the tenth of eleven children in a poor farming family in Piedmont, and as the last boy in the family, he was called Pinin according to local tradition. When he was not even twelve years old, he joined a brother's coachbuilding workshop in Turin... and in 1930 he founded his own company, which he led to world fame. In 1961, an official decree granted Battista Farina the right to use the family name Pininfarina from then on.
Big names
The first cars to be fitted by Pinin Farina from 1931 onwards included not only Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Lancia, but also exclusives such as a Cadillac V-16 and a Hispano-Suiza H6C. The perfectly elegant, often truly aerodynamic style of this Turin coachbuilder became legendary and reached new heights after the Second World War. From then on, the name Pinin Farina also became unforgettably linked with another Italian synonym: Enzo Ferrari.
Impressive exhibition and fabulous Concorso d'Eleganza
To celebrate Pininfarina's 85th anniversary, a major exhibition of Pininfarina creations was held from June 11 to 14 in the Valentino Castle in Turin. The highlight was a Concorso d'Eleganza. Fifty owners of Pininfarina treasures from all over the world were invited to attend on June 13. The jury was also international and included:
- Andrea Militello, designer at Ferrari
- Karim Habib, Head of BMW Design
- Silvia Baruffaldi, editor of "Auto & Design"
- Richard Heseltine, employee of "Octane" UK
- Fabio Filippini, Director Pininfarina Design
- Pascal Raffy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bovet 1822
The latter acted as head of the jury. In addition to the "Best in Show", the "Bovet Award for the Most Elegant Car" was also presented. Bovet is an exclusive Swiss watch brand that has been collaborating with Pininfarina since 2010. A chronograph, only 250 of which were produced, is dedicated to Battista's son Sergio Pininfarina. And great-son Paolo Pininfarina, current Chairman of the Board of Directors of the 85-year-old design company, also donated a "Chairman's Award".
A colorful variety of vehicles
The exhibition ranged from the 6325 Alfa Romeo Duetto to the Nash-Healey Farina, of which only around 400 were built, and from the first Ferrari with a Pinin-Farina body, a Tipo 212 Inter Cabriolet, to the Ferrari P4/5 from 2006, a one-off racing car.
Parade through Turin as the crowning finale
The anniversary show concluded on June 14 with a Sunday parade through Turin, for which 14 km of city streets were cordoned off...
