Andrea Pininfarina
Encyclopedia
Andrea Pininfarina was an Italian engineer and manager, former CEO of the Italian
coachbuilder
Pininfarina
, founded by his grandfather Battista "Pinin" Farina
in 1930 and still controlled by the family. He was the son of Sergio Pininfarina
and was married to Italian aristocrat Cristina Maddalena Pellion di Persano, with whom he had three children, Benedetta, Sergio and Luca.
Pininfarina was born in Turin
. In 1981 he graduated from Polytechnic of Turin as a mechanical engineer and in 1982 was employed by Fruehauf corporation in the United States of America
. In 1983 he joined the family business as Program Manager of the Cadillac Allanté
project at Pininfarina. In 1987 he was promoted to Co-General Manager of the company, and in 1988 he became General Manager. In 1994 he was again promoted to Managing Director, and in 2001 he assumed the responsibility of chief executive officer
. Mr. Pininfarina recently served as vice president of Italy's Confindustria industry lobby. In 2004 he was named by Businessweek
as one of the "25 stars of Europe", in the category dedicated to innovators, while in 2005 he received the Eurostar 2005 award from The Automotive News Europe, awarded to "top managers who have particularly distinguished themselves in the business sectors covered by their respective automotive companies."
Pininfarina died while riding a Vespa
near the company’s headquarters in Cambiano
outside Turin
, Italy
, on the morning of August 7, 2008. According to police a car driven by a 78 year old man maneuvered from a side street around a parked lorry and pulled directly in front of Mr. Pininfarina. Conditions at the time of the accident were very foggy.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
coachbuilder
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...
Pininfarina
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy.Founded as Società anonima Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in 1930 by automobile designer and builder Battista "Pinin" Farina, Pininfarina has been employed by a wide variety of high-end automobile manufacturers,...
, founded by his grandfather Battista "Pinin" Farina
Battista Farina
Battista "Pinin" Farina was an Italian automobile designer, the founder of the Carrozzeria Pininfarina coachbuilding company, a name associated with many of the best-known postwar sports cars....
in 1930 and still controlled by the family. He was the son of Sergio Pininfarina
Sergio Pininfarina
Sergio Pininfarina is an Italian automobile designer, like his father Battista Farina. After joining his father at Carrozzeria Pininfarina, he quickly became integral to the company, and during his career oversaw many of the designs for which the company is famous...
and was married to Italian aristocrat Cristina Maddalena Pellion di Persano, with whom he had three children, Benedetta, Sergio and Luca.
Pininfarina was born in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
. In 1981 he graduated from Polytechnic of Turin as a mechanical engineer and in 1982 was employed by Fruehauf corporation in the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1983 he joined the family business as Program Manager of the Cadillac Allanté
Cadillac Allanté
The Allanté was Cadillac's first venture into the ultra-luxury roadster market. The vehicle was sold from 1987 until 1993, with roughly 21,000 models built over its 7-year production run...
project at Pininfarina. In 1987 he was promoted to Co-General Manager of the company, and in 1988 he became General Manager. In 1994 he was again promoted to Managing Director, and in 2001 he assumed the responsibility of chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
. Mr. Pininfarina recently served as vice president of Italy's Confindustria industry lobby. In 2004 he was named by Businessweek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
as one of the "25 stars of Europe", in the category dedicated to innovators, while in 2005 he received the Eurostar 2005 award from The Automotive News Europe, awarded to "top managers who have particularly distinguished themselves in the business sectors covered by their respective automotive companies."
Pininfarina died while riding a Vespa
Vespa
Vespa is an Italian brand of scooter manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian.The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A...
near the company’s headquarters in Cambiano
Cambiano
Cambiano is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 13 km southeast of Turin.Cambiano borders the following municipalities: Pino Torinese, Chieri, Pecetto Torinese, Moncalieri, Trofarello, Santena, and Villastellone.-External links:*...
outside Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on the morning of August 7, 2008. According to police a car driven by a 78 year old man maneuvered from a side street around a parked lorry and pulled directly in front of Mr. Pininfarina. Conditions at the time of the accident were very foggy.