Marcello Gandini’s name is mentioned in the same breath as automotive design greats like Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Turinese left his mark on Lamborghini in particular. Icons such as the Lamborghini Miura and Countach came from his pen.
The year 1938 is considered a lucky time in automobile history. During these twelve months, the famous Italian design triumvirate consisting of Leonardo Fioravanti, Giorgetto Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini saw the light of day. Without these “Big Three” the automotive cosmos would be completely different today. After all, today’s designers often cite the drafts of this golden era of automotive design.
Marcello Gandini is the second eldest son of the conductor of the Turin Symphony Orchestra and was born with an artistic streak. Especially since the parents benevolently encouraged the young man and his aspirations. This is all the more important since Italy was not necessarily the refuge of economic and social stability after World War II. At school, however, the teenager did not excel through his artistic talent, but rather in the fact that he preferred to leaf through engineering books and tinker with mechanical devices and cars. At some point Marcello got tired of being a bum and dropped out of school to look for a job.
It is hardly surprising that it had to do with cars. Initially, Gandini was involved in the racing scene and brought cars like the Abarth 600 up to scratch by taking care of the gearbox, engines and the chassis. This technical understanding should prove useful again later. When it came to making racing cars as fast as possible, the young Marcello made no compromises. So he unpacked the Flex, simply cut off the rear of a friend’s car and made his own version of a Coda Tronca out of it. In the early years, Gandini was not only interested in cars and other vehicles, but also made a name for himself as a designer in other industries. So he designed the interior of a nightclub and later said with a smile: “That was pretty ugly, but probably because of that it was successful.”
At just 20 years of age, the creative jack-of-all-trades was already out and about on all kinds of creation floors and also made a name for himself as a furniture and graphic designer. After his 21st birthday, Gandini finally got behind the wheel and began to turn his vision of an automobile into sheet metal. One of his first works was the Osca Barchetta. In the meantime, the grandees of the Italian automotive scene have also become aware of the young talent who did not have a formal qualification from one of the renowned design institutions. Just imagine that an autodidactic designer would come to Sindelfingen or Munich with a portfolio full of drafts. It is very likely that the ambitious designer would be turned away by the security service at the entrance.
In Italy in the 1960s, everything was sleeker and more charming. But even under the friendly sun south of the Alps, personal vanities and animosities flourish. As early as 1963, Giuseppe Bertone wanted to take the aspiring young star under his wing. Ironically, his peer and Bertone chief designer Giorgetto Giugiaro put in his veto. When Giugiaro joined Carrozzeria Ghia two years later, Gandini’s great opportunity had come. Bertone nailed it within a day and secured the services of the newcomer.
That turned out to be a stroke of luck. Over the next 15 years, Gandini created some automobiles that are legends today. Lamborghini’s history in particular is inextricably linked with the name Gandini. It all started with the shapely Lamborghini Miura, which stars like Frank Sinatra fought for and which is the focus of every collectors’ meeting today. The incomparable Countach followed in the 1970s, with which Gandini made his wedge-shaped design language socially acceptable. Since Bertone was a contractor, others also benefited from Gandini’s genius. He designed the Lancia Stratos, the grandiose Alfa Romeo Montreal, the Autobianchi A112, the Fiat X1 / 9 and the Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo. Gandini’s designs also found some fans in Asia, which is why the Mazda Luce bears his signature, just like the BMW 2500 (E3) or the Citroën BX5 or the BMW 5 Series (E12).
But even the best partnership ends once. At the end of 1979 the designer informed the Bertone managers that he wanted to be the boss of his own house and founded his studio Marcello Gandini Design Srl, where he is still active to this day. The French brands in particular benefited from the master’s talent and hired the Italian as a consultant. That’s why cars like the nimble Renault 5 bear Gandini’s signature. In recent years, Marcello Gandini has returned to the beginning of his career and not only designed automobiles, but the pulpit for the Heli-Sport CH-7 helicopter. It has come full circle.
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