RIP to a legendary car designer.

Marcello Gandini sadly passed away at the age of 85 last week. I can recall perhaps that Gandini was the first car designer I could ever name? A childhood reading Car Magazine – or was it simply that I once managed to read that tiny badge on the side of a Lamborghini Countach? Certainly the Countach sparked my childhood excitement, when I saw one drive by the park I was playing in. I am also sure I remember print ads of the time, explaining how the Citroen BX was designed by the same person and maybe Renault also proudly name dropped in a similar way? Gandini was a true superstar designer. Perhaps purely because his name was a lot easier to pronounce or spell than Giugiaro. Only slightly less prolific, you can find plenty of obits (or Wikipedia) listing his achievements. His career famously started, and perhaps continued – by clashing with Giugiaro and the two never worked together directly. The most beautiful car ever designed was claimed by Gandini (Lamborghini Miura) but legend has it that Giugiaro and Gandini unintentionally collaborated on this. IT was started by one, and finished by the other? We will perhaps never know the truth of that- but it certainly makes a great story for how Marcello arrived with a bang. His brightest and loudest bangs were Lamborghinis of course.

Does anyone remember the response from Marcello Gandini regarding the “new” Countach special from Lamborghini? It was October 22nd 2021… that Marcello Gandini emailed me! I can tell you now I was starstruck but Mr Gandini was not happy. Of course it was merely his publicist that sent me a press release, but I felt that my life had come full circle from my single digit childhood days. He was not upset with me, it seemed he just wanted the world to know how much he disliked the implication from Lamborghini, that he endorsed their new Lamborghini Countach. Interestingly Top Gear magazine were present for the exact moment the publicity upset Marcello. They managed to hint at the furore to come with Marcello zinging with quotes such as

“I’ve always refused to live in the past..”

You can read that 2021 TG interview here. The letter sent to me was a response to that moment, one which TG decided to cut off at the end of the article, and neatly explains his courtesy and politeness but also shows the belief he had in futurism, or the art of the design process. Innovation ran deep in Marcello, and to be associated with this project incorrectly was one affront – but the most scathing “roast” that the maestro gave this project was one of condemning all retro-modernist designs. All restomods perhaps? My favourite quote from his letter:

“It is clear that markets and marketing itself has changed a lot since then, but as far as I am concerned, to repeat a model of the past, represents in my opinion the negation of the founding principles of my DNA“

GANDINI, Marcello. Letter to author 22nd October 2021

At the time I agreed with my hero and still do. Look back at that 2021 Countach. Will it resonate as timelessly as the original? No. Is it a cynical marketing exercise to get $millions from the investor market- for a slightly altered (fairly cheap to produce) Aventador? Yes.

In 2023 I was reminded of Gandini when news of a “restomod” Diablo was shown. This car is another $1million collectors piece, but this time based on a Lamborghini he didn’t design. The story there is of US Chrysler ownership of Lamborghini blocking the initial design that Gandini had proposed, with something of their own which was clearly based on his designs. It was smoothed out and more modern looking. More on trend, as American car design experience was highly tuned to market research and customer feedback at that time. We got to see Marcello’s version as the Cizeta Moroder V16T.

In my life so far I was lucky enough to own a Gandini designed car, and I chewed the ear of many bored listener at parties when I told them all about my car “designed by the Lamborghini guy”. It was a Renault 5 (Supercinq) Campus from 1988 and I loved it. The interior was practical yet sci-fi cool, the exterior still looking fresh (but wearing battle scars) in 2002 when I owned it. Gandini designed another Renault, and it was a rather significant vehicle which enjoyed a production run of 23 years. This is probably my favourite Gandini design (besides the Stratus Zero concept), with its immaculate industrial design balance of form and function. The two tone colour scheme and the form language with deep undercut and gap separating upper and lower chassis of the 1990 Renault AE (later Magnum) truck were masterstrokes. The design visually represented the “floating” cab, which contained a flat floor for the driver. This was a first and Marcello Gandini celebrated this incredibly futuristic project in aerodynamics and engineering, with styling that was unlike any truck before it.

Let me know in the comments or get in touch with your own favourite Gandini designs! I know the Citroen BX gets a lot of love these days… I recall not being a huge fan in period and I would always refer you to the Volvo Tundra concept of 1979. I wonder who designed that….

That letter in full. PR contact details redacted.