1955, Turin. A 17-year-old kid is doodling cars in the corner of a student exhibition. No one really notices his drawings, except for one guy. That guy is Dante Giacosa, Fiat's technical director. And that kid drawing is Giorgetto Giugiaro. At that moment, neither of them suspects that they have just launched what will become perhaps the most successful career in global automotive design.
Because Giugiaro isn't just a designer. He's the guy who designed your Golf, your DeLorean from Back to the Future, and probably half the cars you've ever dreamed of. Designer of the Century in 1999, no less. Over 60 million cars sold based on his creations. I'm going to tell you the story of a man who literally redesigned the modern automobile, one stroke of a pencil at a time.
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The first lines of a genius
Garessio, 1938. Giorgetto was born into a family of artists, and even as a child, he had a knack for drawing. But cars? Frankly, he wasn't that interested. It was his teacher who put the idea into his head: "My little Giorgetto, with your talent, the automobile industry will pay you handsomely." And you know what? The teacher wasn't wrong.
So when Dante Giacosa came across his drawings at this 1955 exhibition, he didn't hesitate for a second. He took the kid straight to Fiat. Seventeen years old, and already spotted by one of the bigwigs of the Italian automobile industry. I don't know about you, but at 17, I didn't even know how to draw a stick figure properly.
At Fiat, Giugiaro learned the basics, but he quickly realized that to really make it big, he had to look elsewhere. And "elsewhere," in Italy in the 1960s, meant the legendary coachbuilders.
The Bertone School: when talent explodes
1959. Giugiaro arrives at Bertone, and a whole new world opens up to him. Nuccio Bertone, the boss, had spotted him at the Turin Motor Show in '58. The guy looks at his sketches and BAM, he hires him on the spot. At 21—you hear me, 21—Giugiaro becomes head of style at Bertone, replacing none other than Franco Scaglione.
His first creation? The 1960 Gordon Keeble GT. Okay, with only 99 units produced, it's not exactly what you'd call a commercial success, but style-wise... It's already pure Giugiaro. Pure lines, natural elegance, that little something that makes you turn around when the car passes by.
At Bertone, he'll come up with some crazy stuff: the Aston Martin DB4 GT Jet Concept, the Ferrari 250 GT Concept... Cars that still make collectors salivate today. But there's a problem: there's another designer at Bertone who's starting to make a name for himself. A certain Marcello Gandini. And the cohabitation of two geniuses, well, it's not always easy.
The move to Ghia: the art of transition
1965. Giugiaro feels that things are starting to get a bit cramped for him at Bertone. Gandini and him are a bit like having two piano virtuosos in the same orchestra - it creates tension. So he packs his bags and joins Ghia.
There, he refined his style and experimented. His creations became increasingly angular, increasingly... how can I put this... revolutionary. Gone were the soft curves of the 1960s, replaced by something more geometric, more precise. This was the time when Giugiaro developed what would become his signature style: the "folded paper" era.
But hey, Giugiaro is an entrepreneur at heart. Working for others is good, but having your own company is better.
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1968: the birth of Italdesign
1968, a revolutionary year if ever there was one. While students were staging May '68 in France, Giugiaro launched his own revolution by founding Italdesign with engineer Aldo Mantovani. The idea? To be completely independent and able to work with all the manufacturers in the world.
And frankly, the bet paid off beyond all expectations. In nearly 50 years at the helm of Italdesign, the company would develop more than 100 concept cars and 300 production cars. More than 60 million units sold, just that! I mean, there are entire countries with populations smaller than the number of Giugiaro-designed cars on the road worldwide.
And the cherry on top? Giugiaro reckons he's worked for every major manufacturer... except Honda. Can you imagine this guy's resume?
Cars become a collector's passion
Let's talk about passion. Because these cars created by Giugiaro are much more than utilitarian - they have become collector's items, rolling pieces of art. And you know what? This passion for vintage cars is beyond me.
That's exactly why I created BernardMiniatures.fr. Because holding a 1/43 scale Golf Mk1 in your hands is like rediscovering that revolutionary era of automotive design. I have over 1,500 miniatures in stock, mostly 1/43 scale, and of course a few marvels designed by Giugiaro. I'm not a big site, so I often only have one or two pieces of each model, but that's also part of the charm.
You have first-generation Golfs, DeLoreans of course, a few Lotus Esprits... Cars that tell the story of modern automotive design. Delivery is free for orders over €75 in France, and I take care to package everything well because these little marvels deserve respect.
Go take a look at bernardminiatures.fr if you feel like it - and you'll see, I have some gems signed Giugiaro that are really worth the detour.
The Golden Years: When Giugiaro Revolutionized the Automobile Industry
Now, let's talk about the years 1973-1976. Those four years were probably the craziest period in the history of automotive design. Giugiaro released the Alfa Romeo GTV and Alfasud Sprint, the Volkswagen Golf, Passat and Scirocco, and the Maserati Quattroporte, one after the other.
Can you believe it? Basically, in four years, this guy redefined the modern automobile. And the Golf... ah, the Golf! Giugiaro considers it "the most important car of my career." And he's right, because this little German car will revolutionize the concept of the compact car.
Incidentally, a tasty anecdote: in 1972, a 25-year-old intern spent two summer months at Italdesign to learn design. This intern was Ferdinand Piëch. And when he saw the sketches of the future Golf, he said: "It will be a failure, it is too advanced for its time."
Years later, when the Golf had become one of the biggest successes in the global automotive industry, Giugiaro asked Piëch why he had said that. Piëch replied: "I felt it was too advanced for its time." The funny thing? This same Piëch would go on to become the boss of Volkswagen and eventually buy Italdesign in 2010. The student becomes the master, as they say.
The DeLorean: when design meets legend
And then there's the DeLorean. Ah, the DMC-12! If Giugiaro is widely known to the general public today, it's largely thanks to this car. Not necessarily for its mechanical qualities—let's be honest, it wasn't his greatest achievement in that regard—but for its absolutely futuristic design.
Butterfly doors, science-fiction lines, a look that defies time... And when "Back to the Future" came out in 1985, the DeLorean instantly became legendary. Giugiaro had created a time machine, both literally and figuratively.
I always thought that was Giugiaro's genius: creating cars that stand the test of time without aging. Look at the first-generation Golf today; it still looks amazing. The DeLorean, too. It's timeless.
A versatile designer: much more than automobiles
But Giugiaro isn't just about cars. The guy has a creative brain that overflows everywhere. He designs cameras for Nikon, watches for Seiko, office furniture... And get this: he's even created a new form of pasta! They're called "Marille."
He designed the organ in Lausanne Cathedral—7,000 pipes, no less—TVs for Sony, bottles for Shiseido, and even guns for Beretta. Frankly, I don't know many designers who can go from a DeLorean to a perfume bottle and maintain the same level of excellence.
And in 2006, he designed the Atrium for the Turin Winter Olympics. The guy is 68 years old and he's still designing revolutionary things. Respect.
Stylistic evolution: from curved to angular
What fascinates me about Giugiaro is his ability to evolve with the times while maintaining his identity. In the 1960s, his cars were curved, fluid, and very Italian. Then, from the end of the 1960s, he gradually developed this angular style that would culminate in the 1970s and 1980s.
The "folded paper" era, as it's called. Clean, geometric, almost architectural lines. The Lotus Esprit is the perfect example: it looks like it came out of a 70s science fiction movie. And that's exactly what it was meant to be!
Then, in the 1990s, a new shift took place: Giugiaro returned to more organic, more fluid forms. He adapted, he evolved, but his style was always recognizable. That's the sign of a great designer.
The Panda: The Art of Minimalism
And then there's the 1980 Fiat Panda. Giugiaro comes up with something completely different. He compares his creation to "a pair of jeans": simple, functional, no frills. It's the anti-DeLorean, in a way.
But you know what? That might be his greatest genius. Being able to create a futuristic luxury car and an ultra-practical city car with equal excellence. The Panda is pure, unapologetic minimalism, and it's magnificent in that sense.
Family transmission: when art is passed on
Giugiaro's story is also a family story. His son Fabrizio was born in 1965, during the Geneva Motor Show, at the exact moment Bertone unveiled his father's Fiat 850 Spider. From birth, the boy was immersed in cars!
And fate would have it: Fabrizio would follow in his father's footsteps. In 2015, after the sale of Italdesign to Volkswagen, father and son founded GFG Style together. Two generations of Giugiaros who continue to shape the modern automobile.
I find this transmission of know-how beautiful. It's rare to see a passion passed down so naturally from father to son in this field.
The Korean Anecdote: When Discretion Hides a Revolution
Here, I'm going to tell you a story I love. In the early 1970s, representatives from Hyundai arrived at Giugiaro's house. At the time, Hyundai wasn't exactly what you'd call a global automotive benchmark. They asked Giugiaro to design a car for them, but with a very specific instruction: "Do something conservative, not too revolutionary."
The result: the Hyundai Pony. A seemingly ordinary, almost dull car. Except that this "ordinary" car would actually launch the modern chapter of the Korean automotive industry! Sometimes, revolutions hide behind deceptive appearances.
And today, when we see what Hyundai has become, we say to ourselves that Giugiaro was right: sometimes, you have to know how to be discreet to prepare for the future.
A Genius's Legacy: 60 Million Cars and an Aesthetic Revolution
So here we come to the end of this extraordinary story. Giorgetto Giugiaro isn't just another car designer. He's the guy who redesigned the way we design cars.
Before him, a car was either luxurious and bourgeois, or popular and ugly. He showed that you could make something beautiful for everyone. The Golf is exactly that: a people's car with a luxury car design.
More than 60 million cars sold based on his creations is mind-boggling. That means there's a good chance you've driven a car designed by Giugiaro without even knowing it. Your Golf, your Passat, your Scirocco... It's Giugiaro.
And the best part? At 86, he and his son Fabrizio are still going strong. GFG Style continues to release concept cars that are causing a stir. The master hasn't said his last word.
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The eternity of design
What fascinates me most about Giugiaro is his ability to create the timeless. His cars from the 1970s still look modern today. That's the sign of a true genius: surviving the ages without aging.
And when I look at my first-generation Golf or DeLorean miniatures on the shelves, I tell myself that Giugiaro did something quite unique: he transformed the car from a simple utilitarian object into an object of art. Cars that we want to collect, keep, and pass on.
Giorgetto Giugiaro, Designer of the Century. The title is well-deserved. And the story is far from over.