‘He really is a star – for the one-designer car, probably the best in the world right now.’ History has not reversed this judgment on Giorgetto Giugiaro (1938–) , from Ghia studio boss Filippo Sapino, for Giugiaro proved that he was able to move from the world of high-concept show cars and feline supersports forms to designing and redefining the architecture of popular cars.
We are used now to ‘people carriers’, or MPVs, but when Giugiaro introduced the Megagamma in 1978 at the Turin Motor Show it was genuinely a new vehicle type. With this vehicle Giugiaro was the first to experiment with reversing the trend towards lowness and sportiness, realizing that increased height allows a different seat angle and improved roominess in small vehicles (a theme he later exploited with the Fiat Uno). Lancia/Fiat were not confident enough about sales to produce it, but homages to Giugiaro’s concept such as the Nissan Prairie and Renault Espace were soon followed by similar offerings from most other makers, establishing this as one of the most popular vehicle types for family use today.
Giorgetto Giugiaro pioneered the move back to higher cars with the 1978 Megagamma and paved the way for MPVs and ‘people carriers’.