Bologna

24th-27th October 2024

Bologna

24th-27th October 2024

04 Feb 2021

THE GREAT ITALIAN CAR DESIGNERS: PIETRO FRUA

in: VINTAGE CARS
images/5783/07-int.jpg

According to the Turin newspaper “la Stampa” he was the “custom car designer”.

Literally born inside Fiat in 1913 - his father worked in the factories - his car designing talent was clear to see from a very early age. At the age of 22 he was already the manager of the style centre of Stabilimenti Farina.

After the war he decided to go it alone coming second place in the Villa d'Este competition in 1947 with a customised model: the 1100C Spider Car of 1946.

He was one of the first technicians and designers to undertake a freelance carrier becoming an external consultant for car manufacturers, quickly leaving his manual work behind him and moving towards design.

In fact, from the 1950s, a period of great creative fertility began, marked by the collaboration with important Italian and European makes, starting from Maserati, for whose technical solutions Frua had a strong preference.

His creations include the Britannica AC Frua, the Maserati Mistral, the Maserati Quattroporte, the German Glas V8 and the Maserati Quattroporte "Aga Khan". The work of his studio also strongly influenced the definitive design of another fundamental car for Volvo: the P1800. 

Frua has also been active since the late ‘70s in the international exhibitions where he has presented various models, then finding himself an influential role behind the scenes for the style centres of the main automotive industries.

 

 

 

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