sergio pininfarina 1926 2012

sergio pininfarina in 1959 image via

sergio pininfarina, recognized as one of the closest men connected to the success of ferrari died 
on july 3, 2012 at the age of 85 in his turin, italy home.

luca di montezemolo, chairman of ferrari wrote: ‘an exceptional person, who connected his name indissolubly with our history and our success. sergio was one of the most important advocates of made in italy all over the world, a man, who gave Italy credibility and splendor. an example not just of an entrepreneur, but also known for his civic duties, he spread with great passion for his country. he demonstrated it as president of confindustria, member of parliament and senator for life. calling his relation with ferrari legendary is insufficient. he was a great advocate of italian design, thanks to his sense for elegance. he was part of ferrari’s board of administration for many years and I will always be profoundly connected to him, so much that I wanted to dedicate a model to him and his son andrea: ‘the SA aperta’.’

1958 ‘250 GT coupé’  image via

pininfarina was responsible for the designs of iconic ferrari classics such as the 250 GT coupé (1958), 365GTB4 daytona (1968), 308 GTB (1968) 288 GTO (1984), testarossa (1984), F40 (1987) and the enzo (2002). when he pushed for the introduction of a midengine chassis in 1968 with the dino series, ferrari’s styling ultimately became the signature and standard for the italian look in sports cars. this marked the time when ferrari became dominant in the automotive industry.

1973 ‘365 GTB4 daytona’ image via

1985 ‘288 GTO’ image via

1989 ‘testarossa’ image via

1991 ‘F40’ image via

2002 ‘enzo’ image via