Marcello Gandini (1938-2024)

His design legacy sprawls way beyond the confines of Sant’Agata, however, with his work at Bertone spanning everything from the first BMW 5 Series, Citroen BX, second-generation Renault 5 and Volkswagen Polo, to the Ferrari 308 GT4 and Cizeta-Moroder V16T.

But it is his work with Lamborghini for which Gandini is arguably most famous, with the designer basically defining the style of the emerging supercar marque throughout its first three decades. He clothed the Miura’s revolutionary underpinnings. 

He then threw out the Miura’s elegant ‘60s sensibilities for the jaw-dropping straight-edged Countach. He even created the so-called ‘Lamborghini door’, with scissor doors first debuting on his Alfa Romeo 33 Carabo concept car before making production on the first Countach.  

His design legacy comes not just from his time at Bertone, though. After joining in 1965 – deferred two years thanks to the resistance of then-Bertone employee Giorgetto Giugiaro – Gandini remained the overseer of Stile Bertone for 15 years, leaving the design house in 1980. 

So beloved for his designs while under their employment, Gandini didn’t struggle for freelance work in the following years, still working for Lamborghini – albeit having his vision for the Lamborghini Diablo sidelined – among many others. That initial unused vision for Lamborghini’s third-generation flagship was realised in the striking Cizeta-Moroder V16T hypercar. 

Gandini also penned the fourth-generation Maserati Quattroporte, which served from 1994 to 2001, as well as De Tomaso’s 1990s sportscar the Biguà. As well as putting together the initial designs for the Diablo, he also conceived the first prototypes for the Bugatti EB110, which were also eventually sidelined in favour of the final product’s look.

From the VW Polo, to the Lamborghini Countach, there are few if any car enthusiasts out there that do not covet the design genius of at least one of Gandini’s creations. His influence echoes throughout the car industry to this day, some six decades on from his design heyday. His mark is indelible, his style inimitable. Rest in peace, Marcello Gandini.