RIP Pininfarina

Pininfarina: When Insolvency and Death End the Romance

(from February 20th, 2012 --prior to death of Sergio of July 3rd, 2012 which will be included in a Part 2 of this story)

excerpt, Part 1:
Although most commonly known as Ferrari's main body design agency, Pininfarina is a diverse company whose past and present clientele includes: Alfa Romeo, British Leyland, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Cisitalia, Citroen, Daewoo, Fiat, Fiat-Abarth, Ford, GM, Hafei, Honda, Jaguar, Lancia, Maserati, Mitsubishi, Nash Healy, Peugeot, and Volvo.

From their site: "With a history dating back to 1930, Pininfarina is now one of the major suppliers of design, product and process engineering and manufacturing of niche vehicles on the automotive scene. Backed by the experience, creativity and innovation that have always been the main hallmarks of its business, Pininfarina now acts as partner also in sectors of product and interior design and extra-automotive means of transportation. Following the growth and internationalization of the Group, Pininfarina now has facilities in Italy, Germany, Sweden, Morocco and China. Company customers include leading auto-makers."

Certainly, the company most closely associated with Pininfarina is Ferrari. Since 1952 a total of 163 different types of Ferrari are Pininfarina designs, including the 250 GT Coupe, Dino 246 GT, Daytona, Testarossa, F40, F50, 360 Modena and the fantastic Ferrari P4/P5.

The genesis of this alliance goes something like this: According to Sergio Pininfarina (the son), Enzo Ferrari and Battista Pinin Farina had been acquaintances for a long time, dating back to Ferrari and Pininfarina's days with Alfa Romeo before World War 2. As the 1950s began, both were very interested in working with the other. But out of vanity and ego, each refused to visit each other's factory.

After a time, the impasse became recognizable among employees. Eventually, Ferrari sales manager Girolamo Gardini broke the stalemate by proposing the men meet halfway, between Modena and Turin in the town of Tortona. Over lunch, the two men formed the basis of the Ferrari-Pininfarina relationship that has become a mainstay of contemporary Italian culture. It was a small, intimate, affair with only two other people there: Sergio Pininfarina and the aforementioned Gardini. The rest, they say, is history.

But how things have changed since the booming, post-war 1950s: The romanticism and heyday has given way to global recession/depression and the bottom line is ever falling to an ever deepening bottom. Indeed, pretty car bodies will always command attention, with Pininfarina's place in history and relevance firmly established. In both vintage and modern form, to have the car graced with the flowing magic of Pininfarina's handiwork is a hallmark of pride and taste. It must not be overlooked that such branding began, and is perhaps ending, with the hard-won and unique labors of highly creative people, living breathing human elements whose combined forces rose to mythical and legendary status.

Odds, adversity, resistance, can pose tremendous challenges to the entrepreneur at any stage of fiscal or social standing. In this manner, dues are forever paid. And it is often the challenges that engender the greatest moments of triumph and human ingenuity. They say (whomever they are): "It's not the kill but the thrill of the chase." And after claiming victory the prize is that much sweeter when defeat was looming near at any moment during the journey.

As is the case with both Ferrari and Pininfarina, they began as tiny operations, as unknowns. Indeed, the cottage industry is the underdog against the faceless monoliths of the deep-pocketed competition. The well-heeled and well-funded enterprises are distant goals to the fledgling companies whose dreams outreach their grasp. And when success meets the little guy, the trials and obstacles along the journey can be discussed over drinks and dinner, in celebratory hindsight and reminiscence.

But despite all the aforementioned, it is, likewise, the human element that ultimately sows the seeds of destruction. In the case of Pininfarina, I think the already tenuous state dislodged the firm's sense of its own well being. Alas, morale in general matters a great deal to a team, and the death of Andrea heralded the end of an era. A sense of family cohesion and purity of design ethos matters in the longevity of a boutique design company. And like an athlete sustaining injuries to the body, the constitution and fabric of an organization can be compromised, bit by bit, if enough tragedy pays a visit. And then, in terminal cases, the shoe drops in finality.


http://chadglass.blogspot.com/2012/02/pininfarina-when-insolvency-and-death.html
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The Italian coachbuilders had a great era after the WWII, when the Italian market was still a little market and wealthy people wanted one-off cars "to drive the difference". In late '50s, when the European coachbuilders already closed their ateliers, the Italians took off the coat to wear the blazer and became producers: Bertone, Pininfarina, Ghia and Vignale lived the '60s happy. In the '70s Giugiaro was the first to see in the future and the future was no production, but studio design. He was right because at the beginning of the new Century the market killed all the producers-coachbuilders. We live in a third/fourth phase now and probably the studio design is no more effective in a world full of anonymous cars thanks to the safety, aerodynamics, fuel saving, no Co2 and other bloody rules. All the cars are clumsy sliffers on four wheels except for some supercars.
Today the survivors are integrated in the main companies, the other build some toys for bored sheiks. Is there still a future for the car design? Think about it.