Giorgetto Giugiaro

Giorgetto Giugiaro was born into a family of artists, with a lineage of painters, church fresco artists, and musicians, including his great-grandfather Paolo, grandfather Luigi, and father Mario. His formative years were steeped in both figurative and creative disciplines.

At the age of 14, Giugiaro moved to Turin to study fine arts while simultaneously pursuing technical design. By 17, he joined Fiat’s Centro Stile as an apprentice designer, invited by the legendary Dante Giacosa. In 1959, at just 21, Nuccio Bertone entrusted him with managing the design center of Carrozzeria Bertone.

After five years, Giugiaro took over as head of Centro Stile at Ghia. On February 13, 1968, he co-founded Italdesign with Aldo Mantovani. This innovative and independent firm offered a comprehensive package of creative, engineering, and production services to global automotive manufacturers. Over the years, Giugiaro designed over 200 models, resulting in approximately 50 million cars on the road. Iconic vehicles such as the Volkswagen Golf, Scirocco, and Passat of the 1970s bear his signature. For Fiat, he created the Panda, Uno, Punto, and Lancia Delta, Thema, and Prisma. He also designed the Maserati Coupé and Spyder, Alfa Romeo’s modern lineups, and numerous other models.

In 1972, Giugiaro expanded his influence by founding the Industrial Design Division (later Giugiaro Design). This branch handled a wide array of projects, including industrial vehicles, trains, boats, motorcycles, home appliances, lighting, cameras, office equipment, musical instruments, sports equipment, and even food design.

In 1999, Giugiaro was honored as Cavaliere del Lavoro by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. In 2010, Italdesign joined the Volkswagen Group, and in 2015, Giugiaro sold his remaining shares. Later that year, he and his son Fabrizio founded GFG Style, a new independent design venture.

Giugiaro’s diverse contributions include designing the seafront promenade at Porto Santo Stefano, the organ for Lausanne Cathedral with 7,000 pipes, and actively participating in organizing the 2006 Winter Olympics. He remains one of the most celebrated and prolific designers in automotive history.