Marcello Gandini (born 26 August 1938) is an Italian car designer, known for his work with the automotive design house

Gruppo Bertone Gruppo Bertone, commonly known as Bertone, was an Italian industrial design company which specialized in car styling, coachbuilding and manufacturing. It formerly was also a car manufacturing company. Bertone styling was distinctive, with most ...

, including his designs of the

Lamborghini Miura The Lamborghini Miura is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1973. The car was the first supercar with a rear mid-engined two-seat layout, although the concept was first seen in a production road car with Ren ...

, Countach, and the

Lamborghini Diablo The Lamborghini Diablo is a high-performance mid-engine sports car built by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001. It is the first production Lamborghini capable of attaining a top speed in excess of . After the end ...

. In a 2009 interview with

Robert Cumberford Robert Wayne Cumberford (born August 4, 1935) is a former automotive designer for General Motors, author and design critic – widely known as Automotive Design Editor and outspoken columnist for ''Automobile'' magazine. Examples of ...

, editor at

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, Gandini indicated, "his design interests are focused on vehicle architecture, construction, assembly, and mechanisms – not appearance."

Life and career

The son of an orchestral conductor, Gandini, was born in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

. In 1963, he approached

Nuccio Bertone Giuseppe Bertone, also called "Nuccio", (4 July 1914, in Turin – 26 February 1997, in Turin) was an automobile designer and constructor. He took over Carrozzeria Bertone from his father, Giovanni after World War II, growing the small business t ...

, head of the

company, for work. However,

Giorgetto Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was born in Garessio, Cuneo, Piedmont. Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted ...

, then Bertone's chief designer, opposed him being hired. When Giugiaro left Bertone two years later, Gandini was hired, and worked for the company for fourteen years. Creator of Stile Bertone in

Caprie Caprie is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, about west of Turin. Caprie borders the following municipalities: Condove, Rubiana, Villar Dora, Sant'Ambrogio di Torino, and Chiusa ...

, Gandini served as general manager of the styling house, designing

show car A show car, sometimes called a dream car, is a custom-made automobile created specifically for public display, rather than sale. They are shown at auto shows and other exhibitions. Show cars can either come from car companies or from private indivi ...

s as well as managing the construction of prototype automobiles. Gandini designed Lamborghini's groundbreaking mid-engined Miura and extreme Countach in 1973, as well as many practical cars such as the

Citroën BX The Citroën BX is a large family car which was produced by the French manufacturer Citroën from 1982 to 1994. In total, 2,315,739 BXs were built during its 12-year history. The hatchback was discontinued in 1993 with the arrival of the Xantia, ...

, the first-generation

BMW 5 Series (E12) The BMW E12 is the first generation of 5 Series executive cars, which was produced from 1972 to 1981 and replaced the saloon models of the BMW New Class range. Initial models were powered by inline-four engines, using either a carburettor or fue ...

, the

Innocenti Mini The Innocenti Mini is an automobile introduced by Innocenti in 1974. The vehicle was a rebodied, three-door hatchback version of the Mini, styled by Bertone. A five-door prototype was developed around 1980, but was never put into production. Afte ...

, and the Renault Supercinq. He introduced the concept of

scissor doors Scissor doors (also called flap doors, wing doors, beetle-wing doors, turtle doors, switchblade doors, swing-up doors, upswing doors, Lamborghini doors, and Lambo doors) are automobile Vehicle door, doors that rotate vertically at a fixed hinge ...

with the Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo prototype, while the

Lancia Stratos The Lancia Stratos HF (''Tipo 829''), widely and more simply known as Lancia Stratos, is a rear mid-engined sports car designed for rally racing, made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. The HF stands for ''High Fidelity''. It was a very successf ...

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

was another Gandini design. Gandini left Bertone in 1980, pursuing freelance automotive, industrial, and interior design. Gandini has worked in other areas, including home

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, the design of a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

interior, and the body styling of the

Heli-Sport CH-7 The Cicaré CH-7 and Heli-Sport CH7 are a series of ultralight, kit-built helicopters based on a single-seat Argentinian design from the late 1980s. It was later developed into a tandem two-seater, and remains in production. Design and developm ...

helicopter.

Designs

Gandini

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

designs include: *

Alfa Romeo Montreal The Alfa Romeo Montreal is a 2+2 coupé sports car produced by the Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1970 to 1977. Concept car The Alfa Romeo Montreal was introduced as a concept car in 1967 at Expo 67, held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Ori ...

concept and production version * Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo *

Alfa Romeo Navajo The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is a mid-engined sports car built by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It is one of the world's first supercars; it was the fastest commercially available car for the standing kilometer when introduced.Alfa Romeo 33 ...

Autobianchi A112 The Autobianchi A112 is a supermini produced by the Italian automaker Autobianchi. It was developed using a shrunken version of the contemporary Fiat 128's platform. The mechanicals of the A112 subsequently underpinned the Fiat 127. It was intro ...

Autobianchi A112 Runabout The Autobianchi A112 Runabout is a concept car developed by Bertone and first shown in 1969. The small two-seat, mid-engined car was the inspiration for the Fiat X1/9 that appeared in 1972. History In 1967 designer Pio Manzù showed his mid-eng ...

Bertone Pirana The Bertone Pirana (or Jaguar Pirana) is a concept car created by Bertone for the 1967 London Motor Show at Earl's Court. The sleek GT car was based on the chassis and powertrain of the 4.2 litre Jaguar E-type, with a unique steel semi-monoc ...

Bugatti EB 110 The Bugatti EB 110 is a mid-engine sports car produced by Bugatti Automobili S.p.A. from 1991 until 2002, when the company was liquidated. It was the only production model made by Romano Artioli's Italian incarnation of Bugatti. History Deve ...

(prototypes) *

, including the concept Garmisch in 1970 *

Citroën GS Camargue The Citroën GS Camargue was a concept car based on the Citroën GS, presented as a two-door coupé with 2+2 seating. It was designed by the Italian company Bertone. It used GS mechanical components, and was the same overall length, but wider. ...

Cizeta-Moroder V16T The Cizeta-Moroder V16T, now known as just the Cizeta V16T, is an Italian sports car (built from 1991 to 1995) developed by automotive engineer Claudio Zampolli in a joint venture with music composer Giorgio Moroder and designed by Marcello Gandi ...

* De Tomaso Biguà (Qvale Mangusta) * De Tomaso Pantera SI *

De Tomaso De Tomaso Automobili ltd. (previously known as De Tomaso Modena SpA) is an Italian car-manufacturing company. It was founded by the Argentine-born Alejandro de Tomaso (1928–2003) in Modena in 1959. It originally produced various prototypes a ...

Pantera 'Prossima Generazione' * Dino/Ferrari 308 GT4 *Ferrari Rainbow *

Fiat 132 The Fiat 132 is a large family car produced by the Italian automobile company Fiat from 1972 to 1981. An updated version of the 132, called the Argenta, was produced from 1981 to 1985. Fiat 132 (1972–74) The 132 was introduced as a replacemen ...

Fiat X1/9 The Fiat X1/9 is a two-seater mid-engined sports car designed by Bertone and manufactured by Fiat from 1972–1982 and subsequently by Gruppo Bertone from 1982–1989. With a transverse engine and gearbox in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive conf ...

* Iso Lele *Iso Grifo 90 *Iso Grifo 96 *

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

Ascot * Lamborghini Bravo *

Lamborghini Countach The Lamborghini Countach () is a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini from 1974 until 1990. It is one of the many exotic designs developed by Italian design house Bertone, wh ...

Lamborghini P140 The Lamborghini P140 is a code name given to a series of prototype cars built by Lamborghini starting in 1987. It was intended as a replacement for the outgoing Jalpa but never went into production, despite being close to production ready due t ...

(prototypes) * Lamborghini P147 Acosta * Lamborghini Espada * Lamborghini Jarama *

Lamborghini Urraco The Lamborghini Urraco is a 2+2 sports car manufactured by Italian automaker Lamborghini, introduced at the Turin Auto Show in 1970, marketed for model years 1972-1979, and named after a line of Miura-bred fighting bulls; the name translates to ...

Lamborghini Marzal The Lamborghini Marzal is a concept car, first presented by Lamborghini at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show. History Designed by Marcello Gandini of Bertone, it was created to supply Ferruccio Lamborghini with a true four-seater car for his line ...

* Lancia Stratos Zero *

Lancia Sibilo The Lancia Sibilo is a 1978 concept car designed and built by Bertone, and based on the production Lancia Stratos, but 4 inches longer. The car's main characteristics were its sharp, aerodynamic lines and polycarbonate windows. Like other Bert ...

Maserati Khamsin The Maserati Khamsin (''Tipo AM120'') is a grand tourer produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati between 1974 and 1982. The Khamsin was sold alongside the DeTomaso-based Maserati Kyalami — also a V8 2+2 GT car - between 1976 an ...

Maserati Ghibli Maserati Ghibli is the name of three different cars produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati: the AM115, a V8 grand tourer from 1967 to 1973; the AM336, a V6 twin-turbocharged coupé from 1992 to 1998; and the M157, an executive s ...

II *

Maserati Quattroporte The Maserati Quattroporte () is a four-door full-size luxury sports sedan produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati. The name translated from Italian means "four doors". The car is currently in its sixth generation, with the first g ...

II (1974–1978) & IV (1994–2001) *

Maserati Shamal The Maserati Shamal (''Tipo AM339'') is a two-door grand touring coupé produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati from 1990 to 1996. In keeping with an established Maserati tradition, it is named after a wind: shamal (Arabic for ‘nor ...

* Maserati Chubasco *1st and 2nd Maserati Biturbos facelift *

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

AP-X *NSU Trapeze *

Perodua Kancil The Perodua Kancil (also known as the Perodua Nippa in the United Kingdom, and Daihatsu Ceria in Indonesia) is a city car manufactured by Malaysian automobile manufacturer Perodua from August 1994 to 2009. The Kancil is a rebadged third generation ...

(facelift) *

Renault 5 Turbo The Renault 5 Turbo or R5 Turbo is a sport hatchback automobile launched by the French manufacturer Renault at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1980. The car was primarily designed for rallying, but was also sold in a street version. A total o ...

* Renault 5 Supercinq *

Renault Magnum The Renault Magnum is a heavy-duty truck that was produced by the French Manufacturer Renault Trucks, Renault Véhicules Industriels and later Renault Trucks (also part of Renault, now Volvo) from 1990 to 2013. The Magnum was available in Semi- ...

* TaMo Racemo *

Stola The stola () (pl. ''stolae'') was the traditional garment of Roman women, corresponding to the toga that was worn by men. It was also called ''vestis longa'' in Latin literary sources, pointing to its length. History The ''stola'' was a staple ...

S81 Stratos *

S86 Diamante * Volvo Tundra

Gallery

Alfa Romeo Carabo Bertone (4345325783).jpg, 1968

Alfa Romeo Carabo The Alfa Romeo Carabo is a concept car first shown at the 1968 Paris Motor Show. It was designed by Marcello Gandini, working for the Bertone design studio. The ''Carabo'' name is derived from the ''Carabidae'' beetles, as evoked by the car's i ...

concept Lamborghini Miura Sinsheim.jpg, 1968 Lamborghini Miura S 2002ti-Garmisch 2019-05-26.jpg, 1970 BMW 2002ti Garmisch concept Lancia Stratos Zero (7522598642).jpg, 1970 Lancia Stratos Zero concept Bmw e12 v sst.jpg, 1972

BMW 5 Series The BMW 5 Series is an executive car manufactured and marketed by BMW since 1972, succeeding the New Class Sedans, and currently in its seventh generation. The 5 Series was initially available as a sedan, with a wagon/estate body style (market ...

(1st generation) Lancia STRATOS (8014528000).jpg, Gandini's iconic 1973

Countach Scherentueren.jpg, 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Maserati Khamsin.jpg, 1974

Bertone105 (27092146177).jpg, 1976 Ferrari Rainbow concept at left, and 1973

Ferrari GT4 The Dino 308 GT4 and 208 GT4 (later Ferrari 308 GT4 and 208 GT4) were mid-engined V8 2+2 cars built by Ferrari. The Dino 308 GT4 was introduced in 1973 and supplemented by the 208 GT4 in 1975. The cars were sold with Dino badging (continuing th ...

at right Citroen BX Madrid.jpg, 1982

Hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...

became one of the best-selling Citroën models File:Musée Lamborghini 0110.JPG, 1986 Lamborghini Diablo P132 prototype 1993 Maserati Shamal coupe (21175976552).jpg, 1990

62° Coppa Intereuropa - Autodromo Nazionale Monza - 21-06-2015 (19230336115).jpg, 2000

Stola S81 Stratos Stola is an Italian automotive company founded in 1919. From its start it realized concept cars, prototypes and style models, master models and engineering consultancy for some of the biggest manufacturers in the automotive industry. In 2004 it ...

concept

References

External links

Fiat X1/9 web site

Marcello Gandini on the page with an overview of automotive designers working for BMW.
''Marcello Gandini: Maestro of Design''
by Gautam Sen. A complete two volume set featuring the designs and biography of Marcello Gandini. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gandini, Marcello 1938 births Living people Automotive engineers from Turin Gruppo Bertone Lamborghini people BMW designers Alfa Romeo people Maserati people Lancia