Carrozzeria Pininfarina is an automobile coachbuilder and specialty vehicle maker in Turin, Italy. Founded by famed designer, Battista Pininfarina, who stood only 5ft tall and gained the nickname Pinin - "kid" - which late in life he officially added to his birthname, Farina, explaining the 'F' the badge carries. The company is today run by his grandson, Andrea Pininfarina; his father and long-time CEO, Sergio Pininfarina is currently appointed chairman. Many other designers have worked with the company, which has become the most famous design and concept car constructor of the present time.

Pininfarina has been employed by many major car makers, especially Ferrari, Maserati, Cadillac, Nash, Peugeot, Jaguar, Volvo, Alfa Romeo and Lancia.

Pininfarina in the USA

After World War II, several automotive manufacturers opened talks with Pininfarina. Close collaboration began with Nash Motors. In 1952, Pininfarina was in the United States for the unveiling of the Ambassador that he had designed. Moreover, the Nash-Healey sports car was an international effort that was built in limited series at Pininfarina's Turin plant from 1952 to 1954. Because of the marketing efforts by Nash Motors, this was the first time in the history of American automakers that the name of an automobile designer became famous. The agreements with Nash resulted in high volume production of Pininfarina designs and it was a major entry into the U.S. market. In the late 80's Pininfarina designed and partially manufactured for General Motors (the car bodies were stamped, assembled and painted in Italy before being flown twice a week to Detroit for final assembly) the famous convertible-coupé Cadillac Allanté.

Pininfarina Sverige

The 2006 Volvo C70 will be the first car built by Pininfarina outside Italy. The cars will be built in Uddevalla, Sweden by the purpose-founded company Pininfarina Sverige AB. This joint venture is owned by Pininfarina and Volvo Cars in a 60/40 split.

Custom and Prototype Vehicles

In addition to production vehicles, Pininfarina is know for creating custom vehicles, showcars and prototype vehicles for both auto manufacturers and collectors. Many of the prototypes served solely as concept cars, but several have become production models including the Ferrari 612 and Ferrari F50.

Pininfarina's custom vehicles are generally one-off commission cars based on production models from Ferrari, Maserati, or other high-end manufacturers. One of the best known of these commissioned vehicles is the Ferrari P4/5 created in 2006.