Andrea Pininfarina

Andrea Pininfarina (June 26, 1957 - August 7, 2008) was the CEO of the Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina, founded by his grandfather Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930 and still controlled by the family. He was married to Cristina Pellion di Persano, with whom he had three children, Benedetta, Sergio and Luca.

In 1981 Pininfarina graduated from Polytechnic of Turin as a mechanical engineer and in 1982 was employed by Freuehauf corporation in the United States of America. In 1983 he joined the family business as Program Manager of the Cadillac Allanté project at Pininfarina. In 1987 he was promoted to Co-General Manager of the company, and in 1988 he became General Manager. In 1994 he was again promoted to Managing Director, and in 2001 he assumed the responsibility of chief executive officer.

Pininfarina died while riding a Vespa scooter, near the company’s HQ in Cambiano, outside Turin, Italy, on August 7, 2008. According to police at the scene, the dynamics of the accident were clear: without seeing the approaching vehicle, a car pulled directly in front of Mr. Pininfarina's scooter, which impacted the car head-on.