Legendary car designer Giorgetto Giugiaro is recovering in hospital after a serious crash in Sardinia over the weekend. The 86-year-old – famed for shaping some of the most significant cars of the 20th century – was driving his Land Rover Defender near La Celvia in the Arzachena region when the incident occurred.
Reports indicate that Giugiaro lost control on a tight right-hand hairpin between Cala di Volpe and Romazzino. The car left the road, broke through a stone wall and rolled approximately 20 metres before coming to rest at a lower section of the road. Emergency services arrived promptly, and Giugiaro was airlifted to Giovanni Paolo II Hospital in Olbia with injuries to his spine, face and lower limbs.
Although he was initially said to be in serious condition, hospital staff later confirmed that his life was not in danger.
His son, designer Fabrizio Giugiaro, spoke to the Italian press shortly after the accident, explaining: ‘I spoke with my father shortly after the accident. He seemed clear-headed, just a bit dazed from the airbag deployment. The car went straight at the curve and tumbled down about 20 metres, finally resting on one side at the hairpin below. They ran a CT scan at the hospital, and he’s expected to be discharged within a couple of days wearing a support brace.’
Giugiaro remains an enduring figure in the automotive world, with his vast body of work including the original Volkswagen Golf, Fiat Panda, BMW M1 and countless Alfa Romeos, Lancias and Maseratis – many penned during his tenure at Italdesign, the studio he founded in 1968.
All at Octane wish Giorgetto Giugiaro a full and swift recovery.
