remembering marcello gandini, italian car designer of lamborghini, ferrari, maserati and more

Marcello gandini has passed away at 85

Forward-thinking Italian car designer Marcello Gandini passed away on March 13th, 2024 in Rivoli, Turin. He was 85 years old. Marcello Gandini was one of the visionary car designers of the ‘60s, bringing his then-progressive scissor doors to life in some of his vehicle models, including the Lamborghini Countach. Between the ‘60s and the ‘70s, Marcello Gandini stepped in as the chief designer of Bertone, succeeding Giorgetto Giurguiaro. During his tenure, he designed some of the popular sports cars of the period, such as the Lamborghini Miura, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale, the Lancia Stratos, the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4, and the Maserati Khamsin.

Lamborghini Countach Quattrovalvole (1985-89) | image courtesy of Lamborghini

car designs for lamborghini, maserati and more

Even after his stint at Bertone, Marcello Gandini continued his career as a vehicle designer for high-end sports car, giving birth to Maserati Chubasco and Shamal, Lamborghini Diablo and Acosta, and Renault Supercinq and Safrane. In 2019, BMW revived his 1970s Garmisch concept car at the Concorso d’Eleganza. His contribution to visionary car designs and the automotive industry was previously honored by the Polytechnic of Turin which the Italian car designer attended on January 12th, 2024. During the event, Marcello Gandini was awarded an honorary degree in mechanical engineering, and in the courtyard of the university, about fifteen historic cars that he designed for Carrozzeria Bertone were exhibited, some of which came from the collection of the Automotoclub Storico Italiano.

Countach LP | image courtesy of Lamborghini

In his speech when he received the honorary degree at the Polytechnic of Turin, Marcello Gandini said ‘I am honored to receive this. It is the recognition of a journey that began at 16 years old, when, with the money that had been assigned to me to buy a Latin book, I instead purchased a mechanics text, Endothermic Engines by Dante Giacosa. Engineering, applied to car design and planning, was my first passion and the common thread throughout my profession.’ Before passing away, Marcello Gandini was slated to complete a training platform he was designing and working on for the Doha car museum, in collaboration with Qatar University.

Alfa Romeo Carabo | image courtesy of Museo Alfa Romeo