Giorgetto Giugiaro Builds His Own Retirement Present
After putting in fifty years of service to an employer, normally, one might get a gold watch; most have retired (the rest, who have not, surely deserve to). The question, one I suspect that is rarely raised, is what do you do if you're a world-famous designer at a coachworks firm? You go out and make your own special version of a Ferrari for yourself, and that's exactly what Giorgetto Giugiaro has done.
Giugiaro, of ItalDesign fame, has worked, over the past fifty years to create some of the most attractive designs in the auto industry. While ItalDesign has created some beautiful supercars such as the BMW M1, Maserati Merak and Lotus Esprit, the specialty of Giugiaro lies in the everyday, having designed cars such as the Volkswagen Rabbit (Golf Mk.I), plus various Alfa Romeos, Fiats and even Daewoos. After penning many such vehicles, Giugiaro and his ItalDesign team decided to create and supply a special vehicle in honour of his career. What better a title than GG50, which stands for none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro 50.
While the coachwork industry has essentially been whittled down to large design houses that create concept vehicles or production-ready designs for mass producers, the GG50 harks back to the days when anyone with enough influence, celebrity status or wealth could commission a vehicle. Interestingly, despite the car's title status as a Ferrari, the project's
outcome had little influence from Ferrari, other than Fiat Group Chairman Luca di Montezemolo's suggestion of utilizing the V12-powered 612 Scaglietti as a canvas for the final artwork.
Keeping the mechanical structure of the 612 the same, the ItalDesign team went to work on the car's exterior. Giugiaro's design included reshaping the front and rear of the car by trimming approximately 20 mm (0.8 inches) off the nose, and a massive 80 mm (3.2 inches) off the tail, integrating the rear glass and trunk together to form a fastback. Compared to the 490 centimeter (192.9 in) long 612, the GG50 measures in at 481 cm (189.4 in).
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| Giugiaro and his ItalDesign team decided to create and supply a special vehicle in honour of his career. (Photo: Ferrari North America) |
Giugiaro, of ItalDesign fame, has worked, over the past fifty years to create some of the most attractive designs in the auto industry. While ItalDesign has created some beautiful supercars such as the BMW M1, Maserati Merak and Lotus Esprit, the specialty of Giugiaro lies in the everyday, having designed cars such as the Volkswagen Rabbit (Golf Mk.I), plus various Alfa Romeos, Fiats and even Daewoos. After penning many such vehicles, Giugiaro and his ItalDesign team decided to create and supply a special vehicle in honour of his career. What better a title than GG50, which stands for none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro 50.
While the coachwork industry has essentially been whittled down to large design houses that create concept vehicles or production-ready designs for mass producers, the GG50 harks back to the days when anyone with enough influence, celebrity status or wealth could commission a vehicle. Interestingly, despite the car's title status as a Ferrari, the project's
 |
| Keeping the mechanical structure of the 612 the same, the ItalDesign team went to work on the car's exterior. (Photo: Ferrari North America) |
Keeping the mechanical structure of the 612 the same, the ItalDesign team went to work on the car's exterior. Giugiaro's design included reshaping the front and rear of the car by trimming approximately 20 mm (0.8 inches) off the nose, and a massive 80 mm (3.2 inches) off the tail, integrating the rear glass and trunk together to form a fastback. Compared to the 490 centimeter (192.9 in) long 612, the GG50 measures in at 481 cm (189.4 in).