AC Frua
Pietro Frua (born May 2, 1913 in Turin, † June 28, 1983) was an Italian automobile designer. He designed more than 210 vehicles, including several German-volume producers, and was a major influence on the development of automotive design, especially in the 1960s.
Frua learned at Fiat the profession of technical signatory. His father, Carl Frua, worked at Fiat in the field of bodywork. 1930 moved to the then renowned coachbuilder Frua Stabilimenti Farina, where he was appointed at the age of 22 years as head of the design department. The head of the company, Attilo Farina, announced him in 1937 in the dispute and made Giovanni Michelotti as his successor. Michelotti and Frua remained nevertheless characterized by a close, lifelong friendship connected.
Frua went then autonomously as a design consultant. During the war he had to earn his living with various design work outside of the automotive industry. In 1944 he founded in a bombed factory, the "Carrozzeria Pietro Frua" to design car bodies for exclusive cars and also produce in small series itself. His first assignment was in 1946 the Fiat 1100 A Sport Barchetta. This was followed by several orders for Maserati, under including the Maserati A6G, as well as other Italian automaker.
1957 Frua sold his small business to also based in Turin Carrozzeria Ghia. The head of Ghia, Luigi Segre, appointed him head of the design department. The successful Renault Floride arose during this period. About the authorship of the design of this vehicle, there was a dispute with Luigi Segre. Frua subsequently announced later that year and founded in 1958 under the name "Studio Technico Pietro Frua" again his own design office.
The following years were very successful for Frua. First, he supported Pelle Petterson in the design of the Volvo P1800. He also worked for the Swiss coachbuilders Ghia Aigle, who had previously belonged to the Italian Carrozzeria Ghia, but now was self-employed. Even with small cars he worked on. So he designed for Borgward based on Lloyd Alexander, a failed coupe.
1963 started his collaboration with the based in Dingolfing car manufacturers glass. The sedan Glas 1700 and the elegant two-door glass GT and later the large glass V8 came from his pen. At the same time also emerged the Maserati Mistral and the first series of the Maserati Quattroporte. More exclusive cars he designed in the 1960s for the British low-volume producers, as well as AC for the Swiss automaker Monteverdi. After the acquisition glass by BMW he tried in vain to establish a business relationship with BMW. His artistic influences can be seen on many BMW models from that time and see it. In recent years, Frua created in the first place individual pieces that originated on customer requirements or as design proposals were aimed to attract automobile plants for Frua designs. These included, among others, the Lamborghini Faena, one of the last vehicles Frua completed it.
In the 1970s, it was quiet, partly because the market for exclusive and made with a lot of manual work cars became smaller and smaller. Pietro Frua in 1982 fell ill with cancer. Shortly before his death on June 28, 1983, he married his longtime assistant "Gina" Bussolino.
AC 428
Maserati Mistral
Monteverdi High Speed 375S
Frua prototype of the CD, which was presented at the IAA 1970
The Maserati Quattroporte
Maserati Quattroporte "Aga Khan"
Maserati Kyalami
Glass V8
Renault Floride
Lamborghini Faena