Pininfarina CEO dies in accident in Italy
Andrea Pininfarina, chief executive of the family Italian car design firm that counts Ferraris and Alfa Romeos among its creations, died last week in an accident near the northern city of Turin, according to local media reports reports. He was 51.
MILAN, Italy — Andrea Pininfarina, chief executive of the family Italian car design firm that counts Ferraris and Alfa Romeos among its creations, died last week in an accident near the northern city of Turin, according to local media reports reports. He was 51.
Pininfarina, who was on a scooter, collided with a car whose driver failed to stop at an intersection, Luigi Semenzato, police chief in the town of Trofarello south of Turin, told Sky Tg24 television news. He said the driver “didn’t see the Vespa coming.’’
Pininfarina ran Pininfarina SpA, founded in 1930 by his grandfather, Battista “Pinin’’ Farina, who combined his nickname and surname to create the company name and a new family name.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said in a statement that Pininfarina was "the representative of a dynasty that helped bring the story of 'Made in Italy' to the world."
Pininfarina SpA has designed cars for Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Cadillac and Volvo, among others, but is most closely associated with Ferrari, designing nearly all of Ferrari’s models since the 1950s. They include the convertibles the California Spider and the Daytona Spyder.
Andrea Pininfarina took over as chief executive in 2001, and in 2006 also became chairman of the board of directors, a position previously held by his father, Sergio Pininfarina, who is a senator for life in the Italian parliament.
Pininfarina is survived by his wife and three children, according to Italian media reports.
