A serious loss has hit the Pininfarina Group . The president, Paolo Pininfarina, passed away today in Turin, at the age of 65. A great loss for the style signature of the most famous Italian car in the world. Paolo was the son of the senator for life, Sergio Pininfarina, and nephew of the founder of the brand, the legendary Battista “Pinin”. We remember that in August 2008 Paolo’s older brother, Andrea, died in a car accident. The entire automotive world rallies behind the Pininfarina family , in memory of the professional and human figure of Paolo Pininfarina, who led the company from 2008 to today. Thanks to the great dedication shown by the president to his work, the Group began a diversification process in the 1980s which led it to become a point of reference in design fields other than automotive.
Turin doc. Paolo Pininfarina was born in Turin on 28 August 1958 . Having graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic of the Piedmontese capital, after a series of educational and professional experiences abroad, including those at Cadillac, Honda and General Motors, in 1982 he began his professional career in the family business , and in 1987 he assumed the role of President and CEO of Pininfarina Extra srl, a Group company specializing in industrial design, furniture, architecture, nautical and aeronautics. From 1988 he became a member of the Board of Directors and from 2002, member of the Management Committee of the Parent Company Pininfarina SpA
In 2006, he was appointed Vice President of Pininfarina Spa and, since 2008, following the sudden death of his brother Andrea, he assumed the role of President. Among the masterpieces that he personally inaugurates, two are particularly dear to him: the Sergio concept car , a two-seater boat based on Ferrari mechanics, which Paolo decided to build in 2013 in memory of his father, Senator for life Sergio Pininfarina, and the Automobili Pininfarina Battista , an electric hypercar that bears the name of his grandfather and which he himself unveils at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. The Ruoteclassiche editorial team joins the automotive world in mourning the passing of such an illustrious figure.