Top Twelve Pininfarina Designs of All Time

POSTED BY Matt Farah, 07 August 2008

This morning I was saddened to learn of the passing of Andrea Pininfarina, head of one of the greatest design houses in the history of the automobile. He died at age 51, the unfortunate result of an accident while riding his Vespa to work outside of Turin, Italy. Andrea Pininfarina was the grandson of "Pinn" Farina, who started Pininfarina SPA in 1930, and was personally responsible for the iconic Ferrari Testarossa, as well as overseeing many other designs and concepts. I find it only fitting to honor his death with a list of the most beautiful Pininfarina designs from the company's 78 year history. Most lists are a "top ten," Nigel Tufnel's amp goes to eleven, and my list is a full twelve.

12) 1968 Ferrari Daytona - The Ferrari Daytona is, quite simply, the benchmark upon which all GT cars for the last 40 years have been based. In its time, it was one of the most aerodynamic cars ever built, and performs that function with lasting beauty. It was comfortable, exceptionally fast, and still draws a crowd, 40 years later.

11) 1966 Ferrari 330 GTC - The 330 is my favorite of the "classic" Ferraris. It is simple, functional, not overstated, and purposeful in execution. I especially like it from this rear 3/4 view. It's not at all difficult to see how the design of the 330 GTC influenced so many other designs of its time.

10) 1985 Ferrari Testarossa - Penned by Andrea Pininfarina himself, the Testarossa embodied everything that was awesome about the 80's. Huge, wide rear fenders, and giant straked side intakes made for poor driving dynamics, but fantastic bedroom posters. I don't think I knew a single person growing up that didn't have a poster or a model of the Testarossa in their bedroom. I'll take mine in white on white, please.

9) 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider - The Alfa Spider's design is so simple, so aerodynamic, so timeless, and so quintessentially Italian, that Alfa Romeo changed very little of it throughout the Spider's thirty-year production run, and nobody seemed to mind. I can see why.

8) 1994 Ferrari F355 - The last of the old school Ferrari designs, the 355 looks just as new today as it did when the first cars rolled out of Modena's gates. From the high-winding V8 to the dramatic side intake vents, the wedge-shaped F355 is easily recognizeable as a Ferrari, even by those who know nothing about supercars.

7) 1995 Ferrari F50 - Rarely do I see a Ferrari that causes more controversy than the F50. I'm not really sure why, as I think the car is not only very beautiful, but an amazing piece of engineering. With the sound of a real Formula One engine strapped to your back, and the feeling of a chromed 6-speed shifter in your hand, I propose the question: What could be better than this?

6) 2000 Ferrari 550 Barchetta - Not only is the Barchetta the most hardcore of GT cars, it's also the first Ferrari that I ever got to drive, so it holds a special place in my heart. You really gotta love a company that builds a car with no roof at all, just a couple of roll hoops, and then makes it stick shift only. If it starts raining, you had better heel-toe it down a gear and speed up so the rain goes over the windshield! The first time I drove one, I vowed that I would have a Barchetta one day, and one day, I will.

5) 2008 Maserati GranTurismo - Another Castriota design, Maserati's new GT car re-writes the rule book on what a GT car should be. It's easily recognizeable from some distance away, the "shark-nose" grill is perfect for the car, and it feels much bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. Maserati is back on top of the touring business, and it's 100% due to the fact that the Gran Turismo may just be the most beautiful car you can buy for under $150,000

4) 1965 206 Dino - Though not originally badged as a Ferrari, there is no mistaking the gorgeous, curvy styling and the shrieking howl of a mid-engined, Ferrari-engineered powerplant in this first example of design excellence. It's not surprising that the value of the Dino as the "driver's collector car" has soared in recent years.

3) 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO - Were Borat here to make this list, I would ask him how he think Ferrari did with their first attempt in Forced Induction... His answer? "Great Success!!" And he would be right, the 288GTO takes everything that's great about the 308 and turns it into the Incredible Hulk of Ferraris. Turn the engiine 90 degrees, slap on a couple of turbochargers, and flare the fenders to the maximum, and the result is not only a great performer, but, in my opinion, the most beautiful Ferrari ever built.

2) Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina - The P4/5 is easily the most recognizeable coachbuit car on Earth, and for good reason. Take an Enzo, Ferrari's fastest rocketship, and make it even faster. Then make it handle better. Then make it more streetable. Oh yeah, it has to look like the Jetson's version of the iconic P3/4 Race Car.

Want one? Too bad.... owner Jim Glickenhaus isn't selling, and won't. Ever.

1) 1987 Ferrari F40 - From 1987 to 1991, the Ferrari F40 was the fastest car in the world. In fact, more than 20 years later, it's still faster than 95% of all other production cars. It's raw, light, cramped, hot, and gorgeous, everything a street-legal race car should be. The F40 captures the real essence of letting form follow function, but without sacrificing a bit of pure automotive sex.

There you have it, my personal top twelve list! I hope that, even without Andrea Pininfarina at the helm, the best design house in the world will continue to create beautiful automobile designs for many years to come. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Pininfarina family.