This is the single greatest honor in the motor vehicle industry, intended to honor a career and/or lifetime achievement. To become a "Hall of Famer" the nominee must be either retired or deceased. Recipients must have significantly impacted the development of the automobile or the motor vehicle industry. Typically, four to eight individuals are inducted each year.
The name Pininfarina is synonymous with many of the world’s most beautiful and desirable automobiles. That reputation and the responsibility for its continuation, has rested squarely on the shoulders of Sergio Pininfarina.
The design and coach-building firm Pininfarina was founded in 1930 by Sergio’s father, the legendary Battista “Pinin” Farina. Pinin Farina was one of the first designers in the world to consider automobiles as works of art, rather than just machines. Perhaps more importantly, it was the relationships he forged with Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Ferrari, Lancia, Nash, Peugeot, Rolls Royce and others that enabled him to produce automobiles unlike any the world had ever seen.
In 1956, after a half-century of work, he turned the business over to his son Sergio and his son-in-law Renzo Carli. Under this ideal arrangement, Sergio would oversee the creative side of the business, while Renzo handled the administrative aspects of the firm.
Sergio Pininfarina was born in 1926 in Torino, Italy. Following his graduation in 1950 from the Polytechnic of Torino with a degree in mechanical engineering, he joined the family firm.
Not unlike most young designers, Sergio was first interested in designing sports cars. His father, however, had other ideas. The elder Pininfarina quickly involved Sergio in every aspect of the company: design, engineering, fabrication and manufacturing. He encouraged his son to become fluent in several languages and stressed the importance of building relationships both inside and outside of the company.
Sergio quickly came to understand the power and influence the name “Pininfarina” carried within the auto industry and the obligation to uphold the family reputation was always at the forefront of his mind. The seriousness at which he took the family business was rewarded in 1960, when he was named General Manager of the firm. In 1961, he also became Managing Director, and in 1966, at the time of his father’s death, took over the Chairmanship of the company.
But the legacy of Sergio Pininfarina goes well beyond outstanding automobiles. During his five decades of leadership, automobile production increased 100 times, from 524 units per year to more than 50,000. In 1964 he constructed a new Studio and Research Center. In 1972, Pininfarina opened the first full-scale wind tunnel in Italy and one of only a few in the world.
Sergio Pininfarina has long been involved in automobile safety, not only for road cars, but racecars as well. As early as 1963, Pininfarina created the Sigma prototypes, which featured both active and passive safety features, before many auto makers began taking vehicle safety seriously.
Similarly, Sergio Pininfarina is keenly aware of the environmental stresses caused by automobiles around the world. With increasing vehicle production in North America, Europe and Asia, Pininfarina was an early advocate of reducing hydrocarbons and increasing fuel economy.
In the mid-Seventies, as a means to transfer his knowledge beyond the company and to future generations, Sergio Pininfarina served as professor of car body design at his alma mater, the Polytechnic of Torino.
On September 23, 2005 Pininfarina was appointed Life Senator by the President of the Italian Republic for making great contributions to society. Today, he serves as Honorary Chairman of the family firm.
