Welcome
Pininfarina has represented a powerful force for good taste and significant innovation ever since cars were first styled
Pininfarina, a name that triggers a curvaceous vision in scarlet, probably with a black-onyellow prancing horse badge on it somewhere, defied the odds to outlast most rivals and reach the grand old age of 90 in 2020. Sure, this decade has seen it lose independence, but it was special enough for Mahindra to take it on.
When Battista left Stabilimente Farina to establish Pinin Farina – two words then – in 1930, he already had 20 years of experience in charge of design at the old family firm. He was driven not by tradition, but by a vision that his company could use modern technology, production and management techniques to take advantage of a rapidly changing world. That meant becoming involved in the design of cars at the engineering stage, so that the body shape and hard points beneath could evolve in harmony, and it also meant manufacturing car bodies, as he foresaw the days were numbered for independent coachbuilders clothing separate chassis.
His rational approach to design extended to styling, which he felt should speak through simple lines, surfacing and proportion, free from superfluous ornamentation. The notoriously hardto-please Alec Issigonis even described Pininfarina as an engineer of style.
Yes, there have been exceptions along the way, but the Pininfarina signature is one of purity, as you can see in the cars we’ve picked out for our special celebration, from the best Pininfarina buys of the moment to the highlights from our interview with Leonardo Fioravanti.
From the forces behind so many revered cars of the past to the classic vehicle world of today, there’s much to celebrate before we leave this year. The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs has just released its latest survey figures which show our industry’s economic activity is up 31% to £7.2bn, and the number of us enjoying the hobby is up 40% to 700,000 compared to 2016 figures.
On that positive note I leave you to enjoy the issue and wish you a better 2021.