Founded in 1930 by the legendary car designer Battista "Pinin" Farina, the Pininfarina S.p.A. is one of the world's best car design firms and coachbuilding companies. The firm is famous for its incredible designs in the automotive sector, architecture, and interior. In the car industry, Pininfarina is best known for working with some of the top luxury car brands like Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Lancia, among others.
Moreover, all Pininfarina classic designs on this list are so beautiful that it's hard to pick the best. Even so, here's a brief peep into some of the most excellent Pininfarina classic car designs every true enthusiast would love to drive.
9 1952 Nash-Healey
The first Nash-Healey prototype was introduced at the London and Paris Auto Shows in late 1950, and the production model debuted in 1951 in Chicago. It was the first post-war sports car built by a major American company, two years before Chevrolet unleashed the Corvette, one of the greatest American cars ever built. Early models constructed by the British coachbuilder Panelcraft had an oval outer grille design, similar to the 1949 Nash Ambassadors and 600s. And despite the critical acclaims from the press, its sales were not so encouraging, pushing Mason and Donald Healey to seek out Italian coach designer Pininfarina to redesign the body in steel and add Italian influence.
Pininfarina styled the 1952 Nash-Healey with the same Nash oval look but moved the headlamps inside the oval outer grille, and the vertical bars moved in favor of the two horizontal bars. The basic design of the grille was so well-received that the American-built models – also styled by Pininfarina, adopted a similar version on the 1955-1956 models.
8 1954 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider
After Vincent Lancia gave Battista Farina financial aid to start his coachbuilding enterprise in 1930, the two companies have enjoyed a close relationship since. Many of the coolest Lancia cars, including the Aurelia B24 Spider, are designed by Pininfarina. Although the Aurelia family had previously launched the original model, it was Pininfarina's convertible that brought the glamour in 1954.
Built on a shortened B20 GT chassis, the world's first "Gran Turismo," the B24 Spider was simple and all the more beautiful for it. It featured a simple panoramic windscreen that matched the rake of the elegant wooden steering wheel, quarter bumpers, and a Lancia shield grille.
7 1955 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider
Probably not the Alfa Spider most enthusiasts expected, but the Romeo Giulietta Spider is arguably one of the prettiest Pininfarina designs of all time. Like the Lancia with the Aurelia family, Alfa Romeo also contracted Pininfarina to add an open-top glamour to its new production car.
The Giulietta featured the then-new and now-legendary Alfa Romeo Twin-Cam four-cylinder engine and a delicate little spider design. Moreover, it boasted elements of the Aurelia Spider; the grille frame by the bumpers, a single sweeping line defining the flanks, and a minimalist set of lights at the end of the fins.
6 1960 Alfa Romeo 6C-3000CM Superflow IV
Several competition cars were discarded following Alfa Romeo's suspension of its racing activities in the early 1950s. Some were sold to privateers, while two models were handed to specialist coach-builders Pininfarina and Boano for future projects.
The most famous of this pair was the 6C-3000CM that went to Pininfarina, which he reworked four times as a series of outstanding spiders and coupes. The last iteration, dubbed the Superflow IV, amalgamates all the best features of its previous versions. It boasted a futuristic design with open front wheels covered by plexiglass panel, Alfa Romeo grille, domed roof, and plexiglass headlight covers.
5 1965 MGB GT
By the early 1960s, BMC was already working with Pininfarina on a contractual basis for its saloon cars. Pininfarina designed the BMC saloon cars. So, when MG needed a coupe version of its B roadster, Pininfarina was the obvious choice for the job.
A simple design shaped like a B with a hardtop would have worked perfectly for the coupe, but instead, Pininfarina decided to create an elegant and practical fastback. It was a stylish grand tourer that deserved to be nicknamed the shooting brake.
4 1966 Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider
The 1966 Alfa Romeo Spider is one of the most iconic designs of the mid-1960s. Affordable when new, not so much today, this Pininfarina iconic classic remained in production with minor changes for nearly three decades. Unnamed at launch, the name Duetto was picked after the Italian carmaker held a global challenge to find a name for the new car.
Its incredible styling cues included a cuttlefish-bone outlook with a rounded nose and tail and the Alfa Romeo grille dividing the front bumper. If these cues sound familiar, the Duetto models borrowed heavily from the Superflow IV concept.
3 1969 Ferrari Dino 246 GT
For nearly seven decades, Ferrari and Pininfarina collaborated to build some of the most breathtaking cars the world has ever known. The Dino 246 GT, one of Pininfarina's Ferrari cars, was first introduced at the Turin Motor Show in 1969. The 246 GT turned out to be an automotive icon that enjoyed glory days throughout its lifetime.
Having succeeded the 206 GT, the 246 GT inherited its elegant design, including the iconic soft edges, curving lines, and the space-ship-like front design. To this date, the Ferrari 246 GT is arguably one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever built.
2 1982 Lancia 037
In the early 1980s, Lancia wanted to make an all-new car for Group B. And just as it had done with the Beta Montecarlo endurance car, Lancia chose to turn to Abarth and Pininfarina. The latter had styled the original Montecarlo road car. It was the 37th project developed closely with Abarth. And although it was a huge car, it bagged the 1983 Manufacturers' World Championship. Although the 037 was based on the Montecarlo, its body was entirely new and built from Kevlar.
Powering the Lancia 037 was a supercharged 2.0-liter in-line four engine, similar to the unit powering the Fiat Abarth 131 rally cars. Initially producing 265 horsepower, the engine was upgraded with a water injection system in 1982 to discharge 300 hp, and again in 1984 to 2,111cc. Only 217 037 models were built, and none were sold new in the United States as they didn't meet the safety emission regulations. Today, there are several Lancia 037 in the U.S., thanks to the federal importation laws for cars that are at least 25 years old.
1 1987 Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 was built to commemorate Ferrari's 40th anniversary and is popularly known as the final car approved by Enzo. Designed by the legendary Pininfarina, the F40 was considered the symbol of shape and aerodynamics at its time. The body was a tubular steel frame comprising Kevlar, carbon fiber, and aluminum. The car's cockpit had no door panels, radio, or carpet, and it featured many air scoops, wings, and vents, which aided in achieving maximum downforce.
To date, the F40 is one of the most famous Ferrari. It held the title of the fastest street-legal car for about two years. And it's one of the coolest Pininfarina designs of the 1980s.