Franco Martinengo

Franco Martinengo (born in Turin in 1910, passed away on November 5, 2001) was an Italian designer and painter.

Franco Martinengo, considered by many to be the creator of the iconic Duetto design, was born into a family of modest means. His natural talent for drawing convinced his parents to make significant financial sacrifices to ensure he could graduate from the prestigious Albertina Academy. He later enrolled in the faculty of architecture at the University of Turin but was forced to abandon his studies due to the severe industrial crisis preceding the global Great Depression. His maternal uncle, Mario, also left for Buenos Aires in search of fortune, where his cousin, Jorge Mario Bergoglio—now Pope Francis—was born.

In 1928, Martinengo began working at the Stabilimenti Farina, a leading Turin-based coachbuilding firm, where his drawing skills immediately caught the eye of the founder’s brother, Battista Farina. Battista, an expert in model-making but lacking skill in design, formed an artistic partnership with Martinengo that would last for decades and produce masterpieces.

In 1930, Battista Farina established his own company, Società anonima Carrozzeria Pinin Farina, and Martinengo continued his work at Stabilimenti Farina. After a brief post-war period as Director of Design, in 1951, Martinengo was called to join Carrozzeria Pinin Farina as Head of the Projects and Design Department. In this role, he contributed to the design of several landmark models from the company. It is claimed that Martinengo was responsible for the design of the Lancia Aurelia B24 Convertible, according to a conversation between Sergio Pininfarina and Martinengo’s widow in 2005.

When the aging Pinin began to scale back his role in the company, gradually transferring management responsibilities to his son and son-in-law, he appointed Martinengo as the head of the Pininfarina Styling Center. Martinengo held this position continuously from 1952 to 1970. Under his direction, with Pinin’s artistic supervision, the Styling Center at Pininfarina became a creative hub, where talented designers such as Aldo Brovarone, Tom Tjaarda, Paolo Martin, and Leonardo Fioravanti brought their collective vision to life. This collaboration resulted in several iconic cars, including the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider, Fiat 124 Sport Spider, Ferrari Dino 206, 246, 365 Daytona, Ferrari Modulo, and many others.

The last project born from the collaboration between Pinin and Martinengo, with Martinengo’s design, was the prototype for the Alfa Romeo Duetto, which was showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in 1966, just weeks before the sudden death of the great Turin coachbuilder, Pinin Farina. After Pinin’s passing, Martinengo continued to lead the Pininfarina Styling Center. However, as he reached retirement age, he decided to step down to make way for younger talent, following his mentor’s example. Notably, the new prototype presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1973 was named Pininfarina Giovani (“Pininfarina Youth”).

After retiring from the automotive design world, Martinengo dedicated himself entirely to painting, an activity he had pursued successfully since 1940, holding significant national and international exhibitions. In the art world, he collaborated closely with his friend Riccardo Taliano.

Additionally, Franco Martinengo was related to Pope Francis, as they were first cousins.