Aldo Brovarone

Aldo Brovarone (24 June 1926 – 12 October 2020)[2] was an Italian automobile designer and the chief stylist with Carrozzeria Pininfarina (1974-1988) — widely known for a prominent range of work including the Dino 206 GT, Lancia Gamma Coupé and the Peugeot 504 (sedan).

Aldo Brovarone (2009)
Regarding the Ferrari Superamerica II:

*This coupé can certainly be considered, both for its design and for its technical realization, one of the most significant examples of the art of bodywork."

Antoine Prunet, author of the 1980 Ferrari book "Le Granturismo"[1]
Ferrari 400 Superamerica II
Dino 206 GT

Background

Brovarone was born on 24 June 1926, in Vigliano Biellese, in Italy's Piedmont textile region.[3] Demonstrating innate artistic talent at an early age, he was fascinated by airplanes and dreamed of becoming a pilot.[4] He later studied at the state commercial and technical institute, considering a career in the textile industry.

His studies were interrupted by WWII, and he was deported by the Germans and imprisoned for one year in a Polish concentration camp.[5][6][7] Managing to survive,[4] he later worked as a designer with a refrigerator company.

Career

In 1949 Brovarone expatriated to Buenos Aires, Argentina and worked as a graphic designer at an advertising firm,[8] later working with AUTOAR (Automotores Argentinos) until it ended operations in 1953. Brovarone returned to Italy to work with Piero Dusio of Cisitalia, where he first developed brochure illustrations and began his career as an automobile designer.

On introduction from Dusio, Brovarone met Battista "Pinin" Farina[8] and in 1952, he joined Carrozzeria Pinin Farina (later simply Pininfarina) first as assistant stylist to Francesco Salomone and Franco Martinengo. He subsequently became lead designer, beginning with the design of the Ferrari Superamerica II, presented at the 1960 Turin Auto Show.[8]

At Pininfarina, Brovarone designed the sedan variant of the Peugeot 504. In 2007 he verified that he did not design the coupe and cabriolet variants, confirming these were designed at Pininfarina, but under the direction of Franco Martinegno, from sketches by Peugeot.

At Pininfarina, he collaborated on the 1987 Ferrari F40 with lead designer Leonardo Fioravanti, just before retiring.

Later years

After his retirement from Pininfarina in 1988,[8] Brovarone consulted as a stylist with Stola, later contributing to the design of Studiotorino's Porsche Boxster-based RUF RK Spyder, named at the 2005 Milan Triennale as the most beautiful car in the world.[5] At Studiotorino, Broverone secretly penned a coupe variant that management later accepted.[9]

He continued to live in Turin, without computer or cellphone, and continued to make pencil sketches and tempera illustrations which were printed as collectible postcards.[10]

He died at 94 on 12 October 2020 at Molinette hospital in Turin, several days after the death of his wife Martarita,[11][2] and was survived by his son Enrico Brovarone and nephew Cesare Brovarone. He was a member of the Auto Moto Club Storico Italiano (AMSAP) and judge for two concours d'elegance organized by the club, at Villa La Malpenga in Vigliano Biellese (in 2016) and at Ricetto di Candelo (in 2017).

His life and work was recounted in the 2019 book, Stile & raffinatezza. Le creazioni di Aldo Brovarone ("Style & Refinement. The Creations of Aldo Brovarone) by Giuliano Silli, presented at the Third Annual Parco del Valentino Concours d'Elegance.

Design work

References
  1. "Aldo Brovarone". Archivioprototipi.
  2. "A FAREWELL TO ALDO BROVARONE". Auto Design Magazine. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  3. "Also Brovarne". Conceptcars.it. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2011.
  4. "Appuntamento con I grandi designer : Aldo Brovarone". Quattroruote.it. 15 March 2020.
  5. Nicolò Minerbi (14 October 2020). "Addio Aldo Brovarone, la 'matita' della Dino". Veloce.it.
  6. Michael Fira (19 October 2020). "Ferrari Dino Designer Aldo Brovarone Has Died". Top Speed.
  7. Mirco Magni (14 October 2020). "Si è spento Aldo Brovarone". Top Speed.
  8. "Aldo Brovarone". Studiotorino.com.
  9. "Aldo Brovarone". loveforporsche.com. 24 June 2019.
  10. "ADDIO AD ALDO BROVARONE, MAESTRO DI STILE". ASI Automotoclub Storico Italia.
  11. "Addio ad Aldo Brovarone, papà biellese della Ferrari". Prima Biella (in Italian). Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  12. "Barchetta Dedica".
  13. Smale, Glen (2010). Ferrari Design: The Definitive Study. Haynes Publishing. pp. 94–105.
  14. "Aldo Brovarone". studiotorino.com. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  15. "1965 Ferrari 365P Berlinetta Speciale". European Car. February 2009. Archived from the original on 7 April 2009.
  16. "Aldo Brovarone meets his Maserati A6GCS/53 Berlinetta". autodesignclub.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
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