A genius with an unusual creative capacity, a visionary who knew how to anticipate the future of the automobile by interpreting it and creating revolutionary and groundbreaking forms and concepts, an innovative, risky, and audacious artist, with his own style and personality that left his mark. and his characteristic personal seal in each of his unique creations. This was Marcello Gandini, considered by many experts to be one of the greatest masters of automotive design. Born in Turin, on August 26, 1938, he died on March 13, 2024 in Rivoli, Italy.
Gandini began his career as a designer at Bertone in 1967, despite the fact that two years earlier, in 1965 and at the age of 25, he had already applied to work at the prestigious firm directed by Nuccio Bertone. However, at that time, Giorgetto Giugiaro, another of the great “pencil monsters” of the endless pool of Italian designers, in his capacity as Chief Designer, vetoed the entry into the company of that talented young man who had completed his academic training. in that discipline for a short time. When Giugiaro left for another rival studio, Ghia, Gandini eventually joined Bertone.
It was there where he signed the projects that later gave him worldwide fame, first linked to a world-renowned firm like Bertone and, later, during his career as an independent designer. Of his long career, the undoubtedly most brilliant stage has mainly been remembered; the one linked to Lamborghini, since the prototypes and ideas emerged from his mind that later became legendary models such as the Miura, the Countach or the Diablo, without forgetting names relevant to the Sant’Ágata Bolognese brand, such as the Espada, the Jarama, or the Urraco, also developed under his direction.
But the influence of this revered name in the automotive industry is also due to concepts or prototypes that marked a turning point in terms of style and design. In case his contributions at Lamborghini were not enough, Gandini is also responsible for other sports cars that have left their mark. To mention a few, we can mention such important and outstanding models as the Lancia Stratos, the Alfa Romeo Montreal, the De Tomaso Pantera, the ISO Grifo, the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4, or the Bugatti EB110.
Many other sketches or drawings did not become a reality and did not materialize for various reasons as “final” production units, but they are just as numerous and, in many cases, original. Gandini also “dared” with passenger cars and other types of automobiles. His skill in automotive design and his passion for mechanics was not only focused on large and spectacular sports cars, but is reflected no less brilliantly in passenger cars or sedans that either sprang from his endless inspiration or had some of his stylistic contributions and his supervision during stylistic development. Thus, it is worth mentioning the Fiat 132 or the Fiat 1/9 X, the Maserati Quattroporte, the Citroën BX or the Renault Supercinco, among many others.
Although it was one of his first important projects, the importance of the Miura is crucial to understanding Marcello Gandini’s influence among supercar designers. Its imaginative configuration with a 4-liter V12 engine in a transverse central position was a revolution, while its imposing design, an example of elegance and aggressiveness, quickly made it an automotive icon. With a top speed of 300 km/h in its latest SV versions (a record that was hardly imaginable almost sixty years ago), the Miura earned the title of the first supercar in history.
At the head of this achievement was also the engineer Paolo Stanzani, who created with Gandini a unique and especially prolific tandem for Lamborghini. Since 1963, the year of creation of the automobile division founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini, Stanzani was convinced of the importance of design in this type of unique and exclusive automobiles; so the understanding with the young Gandini was natural, instant (and fortunately for supercar lovers, lasting).
In 1968 he was appointed General Manager and Technical Director responsible for the mechanical part of the Countach project. Another name inseparable from Gandini’s figure as a designer. An authentic “spaceship” on wheels, the Countach – which went into production in 1974 – presented an unprecedented silhouette, with a sharp front never seen before, a sharp but harmonious, clean, low and very aerodynamic line that still today, 50 years later, It looks modern today.
The then Design Director of Carrozzeria Bertone was also responsible for the decision to use the scissor doors, which since those years have characterized the production of Lamborghini’s 12-cylinder models. Other resources designed by Gandini, such as the side air intakes with an innovative shark gill design, still serve as inspiration for the bull’s signature creations today. His influence is and will be unique.
