MARCELLO GANDINI: Father of the Lamborghini Miura

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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 INTRO
0:39 EARLY LIFE
4:14 JAGUAR FT 3.8
5:10 PORSCHE 911 ROADSTER CONCEPT
6:17 LAMBORGHINI MIURA
15:52 OTHER EARLY BERTONE DESIGNS
22:02 WONDERFUL WEDGES
29:52 BMW GARMISCH CONCEPT
33:36 1970s BERTONE DESIGNS
41:39 FREELANCE DESIGNS
44:57 OUTRO

Marcello Gandini’s crowning achievement was the Lamborghini Miura, which some consider the most beautiful car ever made. While it wasn’t the first model to bear the raging bull, it was the one that truly set the emerging make apart and thrust the young designer into the spotlight. The Miura was just one of many iconic cars to come from his pen. During his decades-long career, he designed some of the most important automobiles in history and spearheaded the aesthetic of an entire generation.

Marcello Gandini was born in Turin on August 26, 1938, mere weeks before Giorgetto Giugiaro and a few months after Leonardo Fioravanti. Marco, his father, worked in the pharmaceutical industry, though music was his true passion. In addition to his day job, he also made a living as an orchestrator. Marco nudged his son to follow in his footsteps. From the age of four, Marcello began learning to play the piano. He grew to resent this, as he told Top Gear’s Jason Barlow years later. While the other kids were playing outside, Marcello was stuck at home, his head buried in sheet music. Marcello’s interests took him down another path.

Gandini took a rather unconventional approach to get into the industry. Instead of pursuing an education, he dropped out and struck it out as a freelancer. Some jobs were right up his alley. A friend hired him to modify his OSCA 1500S for competition, giving Gandini a taste of what automotive design could be like. Other assignments were outside of his comfort zone. He dabbled in furniture design and even did the interior of The Crazy Club, a local late-night establishment. These tasks did more than put food on the table. They broadened his horizons and helped shape him into a more well-rounded designer.

Soon enough, Marcello worked up the confidence to show his drawings to the many coach builders in Turin. Nothing came of this until a friend got him in touch with Bertone. Nuccio, the man in charge of the firm, already employed a talented designer in Giorgetto Giugiaro. Although he didn’t offer him a job at that point, he remained intrigued and told him that they’d be in touch soon. Gandini would be waiting for quite some time. Gautam Sen’s book mentions that the two of them happened to run into each other in 1963. Nuccio apologized for not reaching out but informed him that bringing him on would likely cause Giugiaro to leave the company.

While this was a disappointing development, Nuccio’s earlier encouragement did seem to give Gandini more confidence in his abilities. In 1965, he landed a job at Carrozzeria Marazzi. Later that year, Nuccio got in touch out of the blue and offered him a job. Giugiaro was set to leave for Ghia and Bertone needed someone to take his place. If Gandini took the job, then he’d be stepping in as chief designer. He wanted to accept it, but prior engagements at Marazzi prevented him from doing so. As a compromise, he suggested that he start out working for Bertone on a consultancy basis. On November 1, 1965, Marcello Gandini began working for the company full-time.