Pietro Frua
Pietro Frua (born May 2, 1913 in Turin ; † June 28, 1983 ibid.) Was an Italian automobile designer . He designed over 210 vehicles, including for several German series manufacturers, and had a significant influence on the development of automobile design, especially in the 1960s.
Training and first independence
Frua trained as a technical draftsman at Fiat . His father, Carl Frua, also worked at Fiat in the body shop. In 1930 Frua switched to the then well-known coachbuilder Stabilimenti Farina , where he was appointed head of the design department at the age of 22. The company's boss, Attilo Farina , gave him notice in a dispute in 1937 and made Giovanni Michelotti his successor. Michelotti and Frua remained connected to each other through a close, lifelong friendship.
Frua then went freelance as a design consultant . During the war, he had to earn a living doing various design work outside of the automobile industry. As early as 1944, he founded the "Carrozzeria Pietro Frua" in a bombed-out factory in order to design bodies for exclusive automobiles and to manufacture them in small series. His first order in 1946 was the Fiat 1100 A Sport Barchetta. This was followed by several orders for Maserati , including the Maserati A6G , as well as for other Italian car manufacturers.
Sale to Ghia
In 1957 Frua sold his small company to Carrozzeria Ghia, also based in Turin . The boss of Ghia, Luigi Segre , appointed him head of the design department. The successful Renault Floride was created during this time. There was a dispute with Luigi Segre about the authorship of the design for this vehicle. Frua resigned in the same year and founded his own design office again in 1958 under the name “Studio Technico Pietro Frua”.
Second self-employment
The following years were very successful for Frua. At first he supported Pelle Petterson in the design of the Volvo P1800 . He also worked for the Swiss coachbuilder Ghia Aigle , who had previously belonged to the Italian Carrozzeria Ghia, but was now self-employed. He also dealt with small cars. For example, he designed an unusual coupé for Borgward based on the Lloyd Alexander .
In 1963 he began working with the Dingolfing- based automobile manufacturer Glas . The sedan Glas 1700 as well as the elegant two-door Glas GT and later the large Glas V8 came from his pen. At the same time, the Maserati Mistral and the first series of the Maserati Quattroporte were also created . He designed other exclusive vehicles in the 1960s for the English small-series manufacturer AC and for the Swiss car manufacturer Monteverdi . After BMW took over Glas, he tried in vain to establish a business relationship with BMW . His creative influences can be seen in numerous BMW models from that time and after. In recent years, Frua has primarily created one-off pieces that were created on customer request or, as design proposals, with the aim of getting automotive plants interested in Frua designs. This included the Lamborghini Faena , one of the last vehicles that Frua completed.
Less known, but just as interesting, are custom-made products made in the early 1970s, such as the Ford Escort GT “Monte Carlo” or the Ford Mexico GT Frua. These vehicles were more of a style study, but were popular attractions at the Paris and Geneva Motor Show.
Retirement
In the 1970s, things got quieter, also because the market for exclusive and handcrafted cars was getting smaller and smaller. In 1982 Pietro Frua fell ill with cancer. Shortly before his death on June 28, 1983, he married his long-time assistant "Gina" Bussolino.
Gallery: vehicles with Frua design
Prototype of the Frua CD , which was presented at the IAA 1970
literature
- Pietro Frua and his cars. Verlag Peter Kurz (2001), ISBN 3-9274853-1-4
Web links
- www.pietro-frua.de Detailed information about the person and the vehicles.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Two coupé bodies by Pietro Frua for the Ford Escort Many historical pictures on zwischengas.com (last accessed May 16, 2017)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Frua, Pietro |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian automobile designer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 2, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Turin |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 28, 1983 |
| Place of death | Turin |