Industrialist Anand Mahindra paid tribute to Italian automotive magnate Paolo Pininfarina who died on Tuesday. He was 65.
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our Chairman Paolo Pininfarina, who left us today in Turin at the age of 65," Pininfarina Group said in a social media post.
The businessman was surrounded by his wife, five children and his mother.
Anand Mahindra took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a few photos of him with Pininfarina. He also revealed a moving episode of how the Mahindra Group pitched to acquire the Italian company.
“We told Paolo that our goal was to turn his grandfather Battista’s dream of producing a car under his own family name into reality,” Mahindra said.
Paolo Pininfarina is the grandson of Battista Farina, who founded the company in 1030. Mahindra Group acquired Pininfarina in 2015.
“After acquiring the company, we went about designing the Pininfarina Battista electric hypercar and when it was launched, we shared an enormous sense of fulfilment with Paolo. The dream had been fulfilled,” Mahindra said.
Read Anand Mahindra's tribute to Paolo Pininfarina here:
The iconic automotive design firm has designed cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce and Cadillac, among others.
{{/usCountry}}The iconic automotive design firm has designed cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce and Cadillac, among others.
{{/usCountry}}Apart from cars, Milan-listed Pininfarina also designs buildings, interiors and electronics.
Anand Mahindra, 68, said he will miss the Italian scion's “warmth of all the good times I enjoyed together with him”.
“Paolo, I know you are driving on some heavenly highway, towards your grandfather, who will tell you how proud of you he is,” Mahindra said.
Paolo Pininfarina is survived by wife Ilaria, five children: Greta, Giovanni, Iole, Tullio and Giulia. His elder brother, Andrea, died in a road accident in 2008, while riding his Vespa was killed while riding his Vespa near the company’s headquarters in Italy's Turin.