Cars
The Myth of Italian Coachbuilders: Frua
Pietro Frua, a post-war Turin-based coachbuilder, founded one of Italy's top coachbuilding firms. Renowned for elegant designs like the Maserati Quattroporte and collaborations with Volvo and Rolls-Royce, Frua's legacy endures despite his death in 1983.
In the post-war city of Turin, the story of Pietro Frua deserves a special mention. A man deeply connected to the world of automobiles from childhood, he realized his dream of starting his own business by founding one of Italy’s most important coachbuilding firms.
The son of a Fiat employee, Frua attended the Apprentice School of the Turin manufacturer and right after graduation at the age of 17, caught the eye of Battista Pinin Farina, who offered him a job at his establishments. The young Pietro, after climbing the ranks thanks to his talent, decided to follow his dream of opening his own business, leaving the company in 1937. Unfortunately, his timing wasn’t ideal, as the outbreak of World War II the following year complicated his ambitions.
