Sergio Sartorelli
Sergio Sartorelli | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 7, 1928 Alessandria, Italy |
| Died | November 28, 2009 (aged 81) Turin, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Automotive designer |
| Known for | Design at Carrozzeria Ghia, OSI, and Fiat |
Sergio Sartorelli (Alessandria, 7 May 1928 – Torino, 28 November 2009) was a noted Italian automotive designer and engineer.
During his career at Carrozzeria Ghia, OSI, and finally Fiat, Sartorelli became widely known for his work on the Fiat 2300 S Coupé, Karmann Ghia Type 34,[1][2] and the Fiat 126.
He was the honorary president of the Italian Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Club.
Background[edit]
As a young teen, Sartorelli had a passion for cars, trucks, trains, and even military vehicles. To mentally escape the depth of World War II, he spent his time filling school notebooks with sketches and building scale wooden models of cars.
After the war he earned a degree in mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin in 1954, followed by 18 months of Military Service in as a cartographer. During his military service, he continued to sketch for Carrozzeria Boano.
After his military service, he was turned down by Boano and Pininfarina, but in 1956 was hired by Ing. Giovanni Savonuzzi at Ghia.[3]
Career[edit]
Sergio Sartorelli's career at Ghia rose quickly when in 1957, engineer Savonuzzi left Ghia for Chrysler, Sartorelli became Head of the Style Prototypes. After the sudden death of Luigi Segre, owner and chief stylist of Carrozzeria Ghia, Sartorelli left Ghia.
Officine Stampaggi Industriali (OSI) was set up as a parallel and complementary company to Ghia and it was part owned by Luigi Segre. With the death of Segre the partnership disappeared and OSI was left with no styling department. After two years of a freelance relationship with Michelotti, OSI set up its own styling department called Centro Stile e Esperienze OSI, and appointed Sergio Sartorelli as its director. This arrangement lasted from 1965 until December 1967 when OSI reorganized.
In 1968 what was left of Centro Stile e Esperienze OSI, became the Future Studies department at Centro Stile Fiat with Sergio Sartorelli as its head, it was entrusted with the study of design, automotive development, and modeling of prototypes for Fiat.
By 1984 with the car market in crisis, Fiat let Sergio Sartorelli go, and he retired from his design career.
Design work[edit]
Sergio Sartorelli's design work included:
| Year | Model | Firm | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Volkswagen 1200 Beetle | Ghia | prototype for Beetle replacement |
| 1957 | Fiat 1100/103 TV Coupe, Cabriolet | Ghia | 1957 Turin Motor Show |
| 1957 | Fiat 500 Jolly | Ghia | |
| 1957 | Fiat 600 Jolly | Ghia | |
| 1957 | Dual-Ghia 375 Coupé | Ghia | |
| 1957 | Ghia Crown Imperial limousine | Ghia | 1957-1963 collaboration with Chrysler Corp. design team[4] |
| 1958 | Fiat 1100/103 Giardinetta | Ghia | |
| 1959 | Karmann-Ghia Coupe Type 14 | Ghia | styling update[5] |
| 1959 | Ghia Selene I | Ghia | designed with Tom Tjaarda[6] |
| 1960 | Fiat 2300 S Coupé | Ghia | production model debut at 1961 Geneva Motor Show[7] |
| 1960 | Karmann-Ghia Coupe 1500 Type 34 | Ghia | 1961 debut, Frankfurt motor show[8] |
| 1961 | Maserati 5000 GT | Ghia | one-off for Ferdinando Innocenti |
| 1962 | Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider | Ghia | one-off prototype |
| 1962 | Ghia 1500 GT | Ghia | |
| 1963 | Ghia-Fiat G230S | Ghia | prototype introduced at Turin Motor Show[9] |
| 1965 | OSI-Ford 20 M TS Coupé and Spider | OSI | Produced from 1966 to 1968, only one Spider was made.[10] |
| 1966 | Alfa Romeo Scarabeo | OSI | 2 bodies |
| 1966 | Innocenti C coupé | OSI | |
| 1967 | Fiat 125 Station Wagon | OSI | |
| 1972 | Fiat 126 | Fiat | replacement for Fiat 500 introduced at Turin Motor Show |
| 1978 | Fiat Ritmo | Fiat | introduced at 1978 Turin Motor Show to replace Fiat 128 |
-
Fiat 2300 S Coupe -
1966 Type 34 Karmann Ghia -
Ghia-Fiat G230S -
Fiat 500 Ghia Jolly -
OSI-Ford 20 M TS -
Fiat 126 -
Fiat Ritmo
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References[edit]
- ^ "Mobil Legenda Bernama VW Karmann Ghia". Otomotif (in Indonesian). 29 June 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2009. English translation
- ^ Keith Seume, Volkswagen Cars and Trucks, ISBN 9781610592468
- ^ "My experience in the car design with GHIA - OSI – FIAT". karmannghia.it. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "The Story of Ghia & Chrysler". imperialclub.com. imperial club. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "History of the Type 34 The Type 34 Karmann Ghia Story". type34.com. The Type 34 Registry. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ^ "Cars by Tom Tjaarda Catalogue raisonné, Opera omnia". tom-tjaarda.net. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ^ "Fiat 2300 S Coupe Series 2". manro-classic.at. Manro - Classic Auto & Musik Museum. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ McCausland, Evan. "VW's Forgotten Karmann Ghia Type 34 Turns 50". automobilemag.com. Automobile Magazine. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ Schroeder, Michael. "Ghia 230 S Prototype drive Prototype with birdcage genes". motor-klassik.de. Ströer Digital Media GmbH. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
- ^ "History". osi20mts.com. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
External links[edit]
- Sergio Sartorelli Karmann Ghia Italy Club - English Translation
- Sergio Sartorelli Karmann Komment - The official Magazine of the Karmann Ghia Owners Club GB
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