Pininfarina is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its wind tunnel, which was the first in Italy to be built for testing full-scale cars, the design firm and coachbuilder announced.
In 1972, Pininfarina Chairman Sergio Pininfarina inaugurated the Wind Tunnel in Grugliasco, near Turin. It was Italy’s first wind tunnel to be built for testing full-scale cars, at the time one of only seven in the world, the company said.
“The Wind Tunnel has given our company a considerable competitive edge, being the only design company to own one. Born as a tool with which Pininfarina developed its own projects, today it’s a strategic asset for the group, thus expanding the portfolio of services that we offer to the market: an activity that supports other sectors beyond the automotive, from transportation to architecture, from nautical to industrial design,” said CEO Silvio Pietro Angori.
The Pininfarina Wind Tunnel, which also boasts a new logo made especially for its first 50 years, is future-oriented, the company said. Its testing capabilities are being constantly improved thanks to the development of innovative measurement techniques in both the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic fields. The Pininfarina Wind Tunnel is also equipped with a TGS – Turbulence Generator System. The TGS is able to create various conditions of controlled turbulence, associated with gusts of wind, overtaking maneuvers, cross winds and vortices generated by cars ahead. The Ground Effect Simulation System, instead, allows for reproducing real vehicle motion conditions.
“I am very proud to share with you the celebrations for something that was born out of my father’s genius. Without a doubt Pininfarina has a real passion for aerodynamics. And it’s a passion that has lasted more than 50 years, long before my father decided to build this structure. It all began with my grandfather Pinin, whose visionary intuition in aerodynamics is exemplified since the Lancia Aprilia Aerodinamica produced in 1936,” said Chairman Paolo Pininfarina.
