Sergio Pininfarina and Ferrari

Sergio Pininfarina, son of Pinin and father of Lorenza, Andrea and Paolo (the latter now chairman of Pininfarina SpA), is the man behind the entire generation of magnificent Ferraris “bodied in Turin”. It was his father who decided to entrust him with the responsibility of coming up with excellent solutions commensurate with the expectations of Enzo Ferrari. This was a decision taken following rather clandestine meeting, in 1951, between the Maranello-based car maker and the famous coachbuilder. The two met half each other way at the “Aurora Girarrosto” restaurant in Tortona, because neither wanted to be seen as making the first move by visiting the other’s facilities! From that day on, the young Sergio, fresh out of university with an engineering degree, looked after the aesthetics of the Ferraris dressed by the company. “I always took care to avoid making them too innovative, as Ferrari was not one to appreciate sudden advances. Instead, I always gave him sporty but elegant and refined bodies — magnificent bodies befitting his extraordinary engines”, Sergio told us during a long interview given at the time of the presentation of the Enzo, his perfect last creation.

Could he have built revolutionary Ferraris, we wonder? Well, here are three cars that, by themselves, provide the answer to that question.

1966. At the Paris Motor Show, Pininfarina unveiled a concept car called the Ferrari 365 P Pininfarina, which prefigured the style of the future Dino. The car’s innovative features included its three-seat, central-drive configuration, an idea taken up many years later by McLaren with its F1 GT. Giovanni Agnelli loved the car and had a second one built for himself.