Giovanni Michelotti

Michelotti at right, with Enrico Nardi and the 1960 Plymouth Silver Ray.
1957 Marinella, based on Fiat 600 Multipla, bodied by Fissore
Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Drophead Coupé

Giovanni Michelotti (6 October 1921 – 23 January 1980[1]) was one of the most prolific designers of sports cars in the 20th century. His notable contributions were for Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Triumph marques. He was also associated with truck designs for Leyland Motors, and with designs for British Leyland (including the Leyland National bus) after the merger of Leyland and BMC.

Born in Turin, Italy, Michelotti worked for coachbuilders, including Stabilimenti Farina, Vignale, Allemano, Bertone, Ghia, Ghia-Aigle,[2] Scioneri, Monterosa, Viotti, Fissore and OSI, before opening his own design studio in 1959. He also cooperated with manufacturers producing their own cars based on Fiat or other mechanicals, like Siata, Moretti, Francis Lombardi and Nardi.[3] From 1962, Michelotti concluded cooperation with Carrozzeria Vignale and began his own coachbuilding activities.[4]

Towards the end of his life, asked whether he had ever designed anything other than cars, Michelotti acknowledged that virtually all of his design work had involved cars, but he admitted to having designed a coffee making machine shortly after the war.[5]

  1. ^ "January 23, 1980 – Designer Giovanni Michelotti passes away". Automotive History. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Carrosserie Ghia Aigle - Cars". ghia-aigle.info. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Elenco delle Vetture progettate da Giovanni Michelotti conosciute al momento" [List of currently known cars designed by Giovanni Michelotti]. Archivio Storico Michelotti (in Italian). Archived from the original on 14 November 2021.
  4. ^ Vignale, Alfredo Zanellato (2009). Vignale con Michelotti Designer. ASI. p. 66.
  5. ^ Mazzocchi, Gianni, ed. (March 1978). "Conversazione con Giovanni Michelotti: Tante, tante automobili" [A conversation with Giovanni Michelotti: Many, Many Cars]. Quattroruote (in Italian). 23 (268). Milan, Italy: Editoriale Domus: 114. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2012. Disegna sempre solo vetture? "Soppratutto, ma .... doppo la guerra anche una macchina per fare il caffe." (Q: Have you always designed only cars? A: Almost exclusively, but...after the war, also a machine for making coffee.)