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A red Cisitalia 202 GT in side profile in a quiet stone courtyard, showing its arched roof, wire-spoke wheels and two side vents.

Pininfarina

Pininfarina began in Turin in 1930 as a coachbuilder for individual commissions and small runs. Its Cisitalia 202 entered MoMA’s collection; the house later grew into an international design and engineering group.

A Turin coachbuilder

Battista “Pinin” Farina founded Carrozzeria Pinin Farina in Turin on 22 May 1930. Its first work centred on special car bodies for individual customers and small production runs, joining the client’s brief to the craft of the coachbuilder.1,2

From small runs to an industry

Farina invested in industrial tools and procedures as the workshop grew beyond one-off commissions. In 1961 he passed direction of the firm to Sergio Pininfarina and Renzo Carli; that same year, a presidential decree changed the family name from Farina to Pininfarina.1,2

The Cisitalia 202 enters a museum

The Cisitalia 202 GT carries coachbuilding into museum history. Its tubular chassis supports an aluminum body over a fine-steel skeleton, with panels hammered over wooden forms; Carrozzeria Pininfarina manufactured the 202 GT held by MoMA.1,2,3

Sources and citations (4)
  1. Heritage
  2. Heritage
  3. Pininfarina (Battista “Pinin” Farina). Cisitalia 202 GT Car. 1946
  4. Our Group

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