Stepping out of Ferrari’s shadow is another logical and possible reason why Pininfarina left the company, despite Mahindra having purchased it. Pininfarina was unable to produce their own supercar because the name Ferrari would always be associated with it. Now that they are owned by a new corporation, that is no longer a problem.
In reality, since the business unveiled its magnificent electric Pininfarina Battista, the first vehicle bearing the company’s name, it has started to compete with Ferrari. It’s hardly surprising that it resembles a LaFerrari in an unexpected way. It wasn’t the most stunning electric car at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, but it was the most stunning show car in Geneva overall, according to a Forbes analyst.
The top-of-the-line hypercar model will feature a startling 1,900 horsepower, a 217 mph top speed, and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of around 2 seconds. It is anticipated to get about 280 miles out of its battery pack from Rimac. A total of 150 are expected to be produced in 2020, with a $2.5 million price tag each unit.
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Who Designed The Better Ferraris? Pininfarina vs. Ferrari
The final vehicle created by the renowned design team of Pininfarina and Ferrari rolled off the assembly line in Maranello three years ago.
In 2017, Ferrari made the decision to sever ties with renowned Italian design firm Pininfarina (well, not exactly). The two Italian businesses originally collaborated in the 1950s and created some genuinely outstanding automobiles as a result.
It’s important to remember that the design firm has evolved significantly since they originally worked with the Italian brand, and in many ways, it isn’t what it once was. Rumor has said that the Mahindra Group’s purchase of the company is the reason Ferrari opted not to provide any vehicles with Pininfarina’s designs.
The final vehicle created by this illustrious team rolled off the Maranello assembly line three years ago. We also felt it was time for some healthy competition because it may be so tough to determine whether the choice to stop working together was warranted.
Let’s find out which of the two Italian businesses produced the better-designed Ferraris to give us a sense of Ferrari’s development to this point. Ferrari or Pininfarina?
The Ferrari collaboration[edit]
A gathering took place in 1951 at Tortona, a tiny hamlet located midway between Turin and Modena. Because neither Farina nor Enzo Ferrari wanted to meet at the other’s headquarters, this neutral location was selected. Sergio Pininfarina, Battista’s son, recounted, “It is not hard to image how I felt that afternoon when my father told me his decision while we were driving back to Turin without taking his eyes off the road for a single second: “From now on you’ll be looking over Ferrari, from A to Z. Design, engineering, technology, building—everything!” I was giddy with joy. “
The 1973 Dino 308 GT4 and the 2013 LaFerrari are the only road-going production Ferraris built after that meeting that were not created by Pininfarina. Sergio later served on Ferrari’s board of directors, and their friendship was so tight that Pininfarina joined Ferrari as a partner in “Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC,” the company that managed Ferrari’s racing squad from 1961 until 1989. Pinin was also a vice president of Ferrari.
Since 2018, Ferrari has not developed any vehicles with Pininfarina design. The Ferrari F12berlinetta, which was manufactured from 2012 to 2017, was the final design created by Pininfarina.
1952 Ferrari 212 Inter
Due to the stubbornness of both Enzo Ferrari and Battista “Pinin” Farina, that renowned relationship almost never materialized. Both of them believed that the other should travel to their place for the meeting, but they both declined. Battista Pininfarina’s son Sergio eventually persuaded the resistant duo to meet for lunch in Tortona in 1951, halfway between the Pininfarina factory in Turin and Ferrari’s Modena plant.
The result was the first automobile to bear both the prancing horse on its nose and a Pininfarina logo on its flanks the following year. Although it was still dressed by coachbuilders like Touring, Vignale, Ghia, and as of recently, Pininfarina, the 212, a development of the 166 vehicles, is frequently described to as the first “production” Ferrari. Some “Pininfarina X Ferrari” characteristics, such the egg-crate grille, the smooth flanks, and the absence of overt ornamentation, were established by the 212 Inter.
Pininfarina, a former Ferrari vehicle designer, passes away
Gian Battista Pininfarina, the prominent vehicle design house’s founder and former Turin carriage manufacturer who established it in the 1930s, had been preparing his son Pininfarina to take over the family business since he was a little boy.
He began working for the family business in 1926 after earning his mechanical engineering degree from Turin’s Polytechnic University. He rose through the ranks to become chief executive in 1961 and chairman after his father passed away in 1966.
By that time, the business had become well-known for its ability to appeal to a larger audience with the newest aerodynamic design ideas.
With a presidential order issued in 1961, the family was permitted to change its name from Farina to Pininfarina, which means “the small one” in Piedmont. Pinin was Gian Battista’s nickname.
After World War Two, Gian Battista “Pinin” Farina created the revolutionary 1947 Cisalfa coupe, which is now on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. One of Sergio’s favorite models was that one.
Gian Battista also started the relationship with Ferrari in 1952, but Sergio ended up overseeing most of their joint initiatives and elevating the company from a small-town operation to a household name.
Over the course of his 50-year tenure at Pininfarina, the firm’s annual automotive production increased from 524 to over 50,000 units.
Pininfarina also created automobiles for Rolls-Royce and other non-Italian brands in addition to their long-standing collaboration with Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati (all of which are owned by Fiat).
Pininfarina was the manufacturer of the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Rondine, 1986 Cadillac Allante, 1995 Bentley Azure, and 1996 Peugeot 406 Coupe (created by Sergio).
Sergio was also responsible for designing the 1984 Ferrari Testarossa, 2003 Maserati Quattroporte, 2002 Ferrari Enzo, and 2004 Ferrari Scaglietti.
In 2006, just before the financial crisis that had a severe impact on the auto industry, Sergio Pininfarina resigned to become honorary chairman.
Many tiny builders, including those from France’s Heuliez and Germany’s Karmann, perished. While Italdesign, another well-known Italian stylist, was acquired by Volkswagen AG, other design businesses reduced their staff sizes.
In 2009, Pininfarina was compelled to borrow money, renegotiate its debt, and reduce its operations.
The family’s 77 percent ownership position in the business was pledged as security for loans, which the company must repay to lenders by 2018. As a result, it had to shut down its production activities and recast itself as a smaller niche design player.
Pininfarina announced in May that it anticipated recording its first profit since 2004 this year.
Does Ferrari own Pininfarina?
Pininfarina is currently owned by the Indian company Mahindra, and is probably best known for its partnerships with Peugeot, Alfa Romeo, and Ferrari. And it has recently debuted the Battista, an extremely svelte electric hypercar, at the Geneva motor show, marking its straight entry into the automotive industry.
Here, we list some of the iconic designs from the carrozzeria; as always, some of these will be familiar to you, but we bet there are plenty more that aren’t.
What models of Ferrari did Pininfarina create?
And this was the end. Similar to the 275, the 365GTB/4 also had poor timing because it debuted a few years after Lamborghini unveiled the Miura, which made front-engined GTs suddenly seem quite dated. Not that the Daytona, which was given that moniker after Ferrari finished first, second, and third in the 1867 24 Hours of Daytona, appeared dated. Its design, by Leonardo Fioravanti, updated the 275’s strong proportions to modern standards. The rounded headlights and gentler shapes were gone, replaced by a sharp nose, delicate creases, and the circular rear lights that would become synonymous with Ferrari.
The Colombo V12 had been enlarged to 4.3 litres, and with six twin-choke carburetors and dual overhead camshafts, it could produce more than 350 horsepower, giving the Daytona the brawn to match its good looks. Customer cars won the GT class at Le Mans in 1973 and 1974 after finishing in the top five in 1972, despite never competing in Scuderia Ferrari-sponsored races. The first Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash was also won by same team. It took less than 36 hours for Brock Yates and Dan Gurney to drive it across America at an average speed of 80.1 mph.
What was the final design of a Ferrari by Pininfarina?
The cooperation between Ferrari and the Italian design firm Pininfarina came to an end in 2017 with the introduction of the Ferrari 812 Superfast, which took the place of the F12berlinetta. Over the years, Pininfarina collaborated with numerous businesses, including Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, and Peugeot, but Ferrari was always its most well-known client.
Four years prior to 2017, the LaFerrari became the first Ferrari without any Pininfarina design influences, signaling the beginning of the end. The LaFerrari set the standard as the first Ferrari created wholly in-house after Ferrari formed Centro Stile Ferrari, its own internal design studio, in 2011.
There is nothing from Pininfarina in [the LaFerrari], the then-Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezelmolo stated to Automotive News in 2013. Pininfarina designed the Ferrari California, 458 and FF, but not its successors, the California T, 488 and GTC4lusso.
The 812 Superfast is wholly produced in-house, and Ferrari claims that its 6.5-liter F140 V12, which produces 789 hp, makes it the most potent naturally aspirated production car ever created at the time. The F12berlinetta was the last Pininfarina-designed supercar to have the Pininfarina badge.
What does a Ferrari Pininfarina cost?
The interior of this Sergio shares some similarities with the regular Ferrari 458 but still has a unique dash and seat detailing. The Pininfarina Ferrari Sergio was not priced, however it is estimated that each of the six copies cost its owner roughly $3.9 million.