Pininfarina will mark the 100th anniversary of Sergio Pininfarina’s birth with two exhibitions at Salone Auto Torino, which takes place on September 11-13, 2026. The displays will be staged in the Corte d’Onore of Turin’s Palazzo Reale and will focus on both Sergio Pininfarina’s work and his wider contribution to Italian industry and design.
The first, entitled The Ferraris of Sergio Pininfarina, will gather together a selection of Ferrari models connected with his professional career and design legacy. A second exhibition, Sergio Pininfarina. Beyond Time, will use photography to trace his life and work, encompassing his roles as designer, engineer, businessman and public figure.
The exhibitions coincide with the centenary of Pininfarina’s birth on September 8, 1926. A mechanical engineer by training, he joined the company established by his father Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina. He took charge in 1960, initially as general manager and later as chief executive. His tenure coincided with Pininfarina’s development from a largely artisan coachbuilding business into a much larger industrial design and engineering organisation. The company broadened its technical capabilities, worked increasingly closely with major manufacturers and expanded its activities outside the automotive sector.
Sergio Pininfarina’s career was particularly closely associated with Ferrari, although projects produced under his leadership also encompassed marques including Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Peugeot.
Paolo Dellachà, CEO of Pininfarina, said the centenary was intended to consider both Sergio’s historical contribution and the continuing influence of his approach. “On the centenary of his birth, we wish to pay tribute to a man who left a profound mark on the industrial, cultural and social history of our country, as well as on our Company and the Pininfarina Family,” he said. “One hundred years after his birth, Sergio Pininfarina’s thinking remains remarkably relevant: the values that guided his life and work – from innovation to elegance, from design culture to an international outlook – continue to serve as a benchmark for the way we approach design.”
Dellachà added that the exhibition was not intended simply as a retrospective: “The cars and images that tell his story bear witness to a vision capable of transcending time.”
Sergio Pininfarina also occupied a number of prominent positions outside the company. He became president of the Turin Industrial Association in 1978 and was elected to the European Parliament the following year. He subsequently served as president of Confindustria, the main organisation representing Italian manufacturing and service companies, between 1988 and 1992.
In 2005, Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi appointed him a Life Senator for his achievements in the social sphere. Two years later Pininfarina was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan. He also received four honorary degrees during his lifetime. Sergio became Pininfarina’s honorary chairman in 2006, with leadership passing to his sons Andrea and Paolo. Andrea Pininfarina died in a road accident in 2008, while Paolo Pininfarina died in 2024. Sergio Pininfarina died on July 3, 2012, aged 85.
The Ferraris of Sergio Pininfarina and Sergio Pininfarina. Beyond Time will be open during Salone Auto Torino on September 11-13, 2026 at Palazzo Reale, Turin. More details are available here.
