Italian automotive design legend Marcello Gandini passed away on Wednesday at the age of 85.
His back catalog is one of the most impressive of any designer and includes notable designs like the Lamborghini Countach and the BMW Garmischthe concept that influenced the design of the original 5 Series.
Born in Turin, the son of an orchestra conductor, Gandini spent much of his career working at the Italian coachbuilder Bertone, where he helped establish the separate design house Stile Bertone, which would develop many concept cars and important production models, including the aforementioned Garmisch, as well as the Lancia Stratos and Lamborghini Miura.
The Lamborghini was Gandini’s first project at Bertone, and he would go on to write many other models for the Italian performance brand. During his time there he also wrote the Ferrari Dino 308 GT4which was the first and only Ferrari designed by Bertone.
Lamborghini Miura SV
But Gandini didn’t limit himself to top-of-the-range cars. He also worked on more mundane projects and always found ways to add a little zest. The list includes the original Volkswagen Polo, as well as the Fiat 132, Renault 5 Turbo and Citroën BX.
After leaving Bertone in 1980, he continued to work as an independent designer, and by the 1990s he was experimenting with more curves rather than his characteristic wedge-shaped designs.
Never one to stop innovating, Gandini in recent years has focused on developing methods for building automobiles with the aim of improving efficiency and costs in the manufacturing process.