Pioneering automotive designer Marcello Gandini of Lamborghini, Lancia, and Alfa Romeo fame is dead at the age of 85. Automotive enthusiasts are mourning his loss while others are learning more about the man’s tremendous legacy which includes the Lamborghini Countach and so much more.
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In fact, it was Gandini who first developed scissor doors for exotic sports cars, igniting the imaginations of countless gearheads and even regular people, turning many of them onto cars.
Among Gandini’s momentous designs is of course the Countach, a culture touchstone in automotive history, but also giants like the Lamborghini Miura, Lancia Stratos, and Alfa Romeo Carabo.
Gandini especially favored wedge-shaped cars and he was the first to create a supercar with a mid-engine configuration, the Miura, with the impact of that decision still felt today.
According to a report from The Guardian, Gandini died suddenly on March 11 in the Rivoli municipality of Turin in Italy.
In 1938, Gandini was born. From the time he was a young boy he showed an aptitude and tremendous interest in engineering and design, eventually creating his own concept car are the age of 20. At 27 he joined up with Gruppo Bertone, an Italian industrial design firm.
It was during his time at Bertone that he started to make a big impact on the industry, rising through the ranks to the position of style director. He signed off on over 100 projects, putting his mark on countless classic Italian cars revered by many.
Later, Gandini formed his own company, called Clama Srl, helping with designs for Renault, Nissan, Toyota, Subaru, Maserati, and others.
The loss of Gandini is being felt across the industry. For example, Jeremy Clarkson remarked on X that Gandini “created more beauty in his life than any painter, sculptre, or architect.”
Images via Lamborghini
Shawn Henry