Battista Farina
Encyclopedia
Battista "Pinin" Farina (later Battista Pininfarina) (2 November 1893 - 3 April 1966) 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.
Battista Farina was born in Turin
, Italy. The tenth of eleven children, his nickname, "Pinin" (the youngest/smallest (brother), in Piedmontese
), referred to his being the baby of the family. Pinin started working in his brother Giovanni's body shop at the age of 12 and it was there that his interest in cars was born. He stayed at Giovanni's Stabilimenti Industriali Farina for decades, learning bodywork and beginning to design his own cars.
Pinin formed Carrozzeria Pininfarina in 1930 to focus on design and construction of new car bodies, and quickly gained prominence. Only Carrozzeria Touring
was more sought-after in the 1930s. Battista's work for Ferrari
, starting in 1952, would become his most famous, though much of it was managed by his son, Sergio
, who currently runs the firm. Some time in the early 1950s Stabilimenti Farina was absorbed into the by now much larger Carrozzeria Pininfarina.
Farina officially changed his name to "Battista Pininfarina" in 1961. The change was authorized by President of the Italian Republic, acting on a proposal made by the Minister of Justice.
The last design personally attributed to Battista Farina was the iconic 1600 Duetto for Alfa Romeo
. This was first seen by the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966. He died less than a month later, on 3 April.
His nephew, Nino Farina, was the first Formula One
world champion.
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...
automobile designer, the founder of the Carrozzeria 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,...
coachbuilding company
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...
, a name associated with many of the best-known postwar sports cars.
Battista Farina 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...
, Italy. The tenth of eleven children, his nickname, "Pinin" (the youngest/smallest (brother), in Piedmontese
Piedmontese language
Piedmontese is a Romance language spoken by over 2 million people in Piedmont, northwest Italy. It is geographically and linguistically included in the Northern Italian group . It is part of the wider western group of Romance languages, including French, Occitan, and Catalan.Many European and...
), referred to his being the baby of the family. Pinin started working in his brother Giovanni's body shop at the age of 12 and it was there that his interest in cars was born. He stayed at Giovanni's Stabilimenti Industriali Farina for decades, learning bodywork and beginning to design his own cars.
Pinin formed Carrozzeria Pininfarina in 1930 to focus on design and construction of new car bodies, and quickly gained prominence. Only Carrozzeria Touring
Carrozzeria Touring
Carrozzeria Touring is an automobile coachbuilder established on March 25, 1926 in Milan, Italy by Felice Bianchi Anderloni and Gaetano Ponzoni...
was more sought-after in the 1930s. Battista's work for Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
, starting in 1952, would become his most famous, though much of it was managed by his son, Sergio
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...
, who currently runs the firm. Some time in the early 1950s Stabilimenti Farina was absorbed into the by now much larger Carrozzeria Pininfarina.
Farina officially changed his name to "Battista Pininfarina" in 1961. The change was authorized by President of the Italian Republic, acting on a proposal made by the Minister of Justice.
The last design personally attributed to Battista Farina was the iconic 1600 Duetto for Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
. This was first seen by the public at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966. He died less than a month later, on 3 April.
His nephew, Nino Farina, was the first Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
world champion.