Pio Manzù

Pio Manzù (pseudonym of Pio Manzoni), born in Bergamo on March 2, 1939, was a renowned Italian designer. The son of the famous sculptor Giacomo Manzù and his first wife, Antonia “Tina” Oreni, Pio completed his classical high school studies before moving to the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm, Germany. There, under the guidance of Argentine designer and philosopher Tomás Maldonado, he specialized in industrial design.

After graduating in 1964, Manzù began creating a series of furniture designs and collaborating with international publications on automotive design topics. He also served as an assistant at the Ulm School. In 1965, along with Fritz Bob Busch and Michael Conrad, he co-founded the design group Autonova. Their design theories, which focused on a strong connection to scientific knowledge of materials and industrial processes, quickly gained attention from notable figures in the automotive industry, including engineer Dante Giacosa from FIAT, and executives from companies such as NSU, Glas, Pirelli, Recaro, VDO, and BASF.

In addition to his work in automotive design, Manzù created several significant objects for interior design. Notable works include the Cronotime desk clock for Ritz Italora (later Alessi), a desk organizer for Kartell, and the Parentesi lamp for FLOS, which he co-designed with Achille Castiglioni in 1969. His collaboration with renowned Italian and German companies, supported by the Sibona & Basano coachbuilding firm, led to the creation of the Autonova Fam and Autonova GT prototypes, based on the Glas 1004 and NSU Prinz 1000 TT and Ro 80 mechanics.

Manzù’s work with FIAT’s Centro Stile, although initially met with skepticism, produced innovative results. His first major project for FIAT was a concept car, the City Taxi, created in 1968. This vehicle, designed for taxi service, combined avant-garde technical and stylistic solutions but never reached production. However, it laid the foundation for the FIAT 126, the successor to the iconic 500.

In 1969, Manzù began working on the design of the FIAT 127, a car meant to revolutionize the concept of the “people’s car” and become a global reference. Unfortunately, Manzù never saw his project come to life. Tragically, in May 1969, while traveling to present the final model to FIAT’s management, he was involved in a fatal car accident on the Torino-Milan highway. He was extracted alive from the wreckage but died from his injuries.

Manzù’s legacy lives on in his contributions to design, both in the automotive world and in other design fields. He was also posthumously recognized as a juror for the “Bolide Design” exhibition at the Louvre, which showcased car designs at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.