Countach designer Marcello Gandini dies
The Italian legend penned many memorable designs for Lamborghini and other brands
Marcello Gandini, the man who penned many exotic car designs that graced the posters of countless teenagers’ bedroom walls, has died in Italy. He was 85.
The Italian designer’s best-known work is the outlandish Lamborghini Countach, the dramatically wedge-shaped 1970s sports car with scissor doors, appropriately named after the Italian slang used to express amazement.
Gandini, who also designed the Miura and Diablo, died suddenly in Turin on Monday, Italian state broadcaster Rai reported.
The son of an orchestral conductor, Gandini was born in Turin on August 26 1938. He worked at Italian industrial design company Bertone from the mid-1960s until 1980 and became the company’s style director. He was involved in more than 100 projects, many of which are now considered classics of car design, including the Ferrari 308 GT4, Fiat X1/9 and Lancia Stratos rally sports car.
Gandini also designed practical mass-production cars such as the first generation Volkswagen Polo, the BMW 5 Series, and the second generation Renault 5.