Car design master and father of the Lamborghini Miura, Marcello Gandini, has died at the age of 85
The whole team at Classics World was saddened to learn of the passing of legendary Italian car designer, Marcello Gandini, at the age of 85.
Born in Turin in 1938, Gandini’s rise to prominence began when he replaced Giorgetto Giugiaro at the Bertone design house in 1965. While with the iconic Italian firm, he was responsible for designs such as the groundbreaking Lamborghini Miura, the Lancia Stratos and the Ferrari 308/GT4, which became Maranello’s only Bertone-designed production model. Gandini was also responsible for the four-seater Lamborghini Espada, the 2+2 Urraco and that spectacular pin-up favourite, the Countach.
Other notable designs included the Alfa Romeo Montreal and Maserati Khamsin, as well as the Fiat X1/9. But it wasn’t all sporty stuff; Gandini was also responsible for practical mass-production cars including the first-generation Volkswagen Polo/Audi 50 and the E12-generation BMW 5 Series. The great man then forged a solo career in the 1980s, with designs such as the Citroën BX, and the second-generation Renault 5, otherwise known as the ‘Supercinq’.
The scissor-doored Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo and Navajo concepts were also Gandini efforts, as were the original concepts for the Bugatti EB110 and Lamborghini Diablo. In addition, he produced later designs for Nissan and Perodua. His other works include the Maserati Shamal and Quattroporte II, the Fiat Dino Coupe, the Cizeta-Moroder V16T and even the TaMo Racemo, the ill-fated sports car produced by Tata in 2017.
Marcello Gandini passed away on March 13, 2024 but his lasting automative legacy is exemplified by legendary models like the Lamborghini Countach and Miura – the latter often regarded as the most beautiful car in the world.
