One of the most unique concept studies to come out of the Pininfarina studio in the 1980s, the Ferrari Pinin, is heading to the auction block. Designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pininfarina and named after the founder of the company, Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina, the first-ever Ferrari sedan made its world premiere at the 1980 Turin Motor Show in Italy.

The styling of the low-slung, sharp looking sedan was the work of Diego Ottina under the direction of Leonardo Fioravanti, the man responsible for the designs of the Dino, Daytona, the P5 and other Ferrari models.

The futuristic design continues inside with a rather minimalistic look for the dashboard and instrument panel. Saddle tan Connolly leather wraps most surfaces, while Pininfarina fitted the car with an array of electronic to controls all the passenger comfort features.

Although the concept was well received by the public, Ferrari never put the Pinin into production. Nevertheless, certain styling cues such as the high belt-line can be found on later models designed by Pininfarina such as the Peugeot 405.

After the Turin presentation, the four-door Ferrari continued its motorshow appearances until 1981 when it was put in storage. The concept later on changed hands when Pininfarina sold it to Jacques Swaters, the head of the Ecurie Francorchamps Belgian racing team and a personal friend of Enzo Ferrari. In 2008, Mr. Swaters sold the Pinin to its current owner at RM’s Ferrari – Leggenda e Passione Auction.

While the Pinin was originally a static concept, the current owner of the car enlisted the services of Oral Engineering to transform it to a fully functional prototype.

With the help of Mauro Forghieri, a former Ferrari Technical Director, the Pinin was fitted with a 4.9-liter horizontally-opposed 12-cylinder engine with Weber carburetors and a double overhead camshaft with four valves per cylinder, rated at 360-horses and sourced from the Ferrari 512 BB.

A specially adapted five-speed gearbox from the Ferrari 400GT transfers power to the rear wheels. Other changes included the strengthening of the chassis, the addition of a fuel tank plus new suspension and brakes.

The 1980 Ferrari Pinin will go under the hammer at the forthcoming RM Auction in London, England on October 26, where it is expected to fetch somewhere between £480,000-£550,000 or about US$742,000 to US$850,000.

Photo Credits: Dirk de Jager for RM Auctions

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