Shaping the future without losing the past

Bringing the panel to stage, McLachlan introduced Paolo Dellachà, CEO of Pininfarina, alongside Dimitri Vicedomini, head of exterior design, and Tigran Lalayan, chief creative designer, describing the session as a “vision to form” exploration of the brand’s design philosophy.

He set up the discussion with a question about heritage and direction, asking what the guiding vision is for Pininfarina today.

Paolo Dellachà began by grounding the answer in continuity. “I think it hasn’t changed through the years,” he said, referencing founder Battista Farina’s belief that “soprattutto deve essere bella” — above all, it must be beautiful. That principle, he explained, continues to define the brand across generations.

For Dellachà, the core values remain consistent: “a search for perfect proportion, purity of lines, trying to define something that is not following trends,” but instead creating designs “that can be meaningful through generations.”

McLachlan pushed further, highlighting how Pininfarina’s influence now extends beyond automotive into architecture and other disciplines, asking how this cross-sector work shapes design thinking.

Dellachà described the different fields as interconnected systems: “I tend to see all of these sectors as wheel gears that are moving one another. What we do in mobility can affect what we do in living and vice versa.” He added that consistency is key, noting that all activity is grounded in a shared DNA even across industries.

The conversation then turned to China and the opening of Pininfarina’s Shanghai design centre. Dellachà described it as “a very important milestone,” framing Shanghai not just as an expansion but as “a hub for creativity, innovation and especially future trends.”

However, he stressed continuity with heritage, pointing to leadership at the centre as a symbolic bridge between generations and cultures. “From one side we see China as a place of innovation,” he said, “but we apply this with a global vision and full respect of tradition.”

The discussion then shifted to the Tensai project with JAS Motorsport, reinterpreting the Honda NSX. Dimitri Vicedomini explained that the project began with a desire to honour an icon: “JAS wanted to celebrate the NSX, a car that already redefined the supercar world during the 1990s.”

We rethought the car, we redefined its proportion, we rewrote its road presence

He added that the collaboration also carried historical weight, noting that “in 1984 Pininfarina already imagined a mid-engine supercar for Honda, the HP-X concept,” making the project feel like a continuation of a long-standing dialogue.

McLachlan asked how the team approached redesigning such a recognisable car without falling into retro design. Vicedomini explained that the process began with exploring “what could not be changed in order to preserve the NSX identity.”

A key moment came during a visit to JAS headquarters. “We found a spectacular team of engineers unexpectedly open to major changes,” he said. Once the extent of those changes was clear, “there was no need to create illusion anymore,” and the focus shifted to expressing new proportions naturally.

He emphasised that this was not a restomod. “We rethought the car, we redefined its proportion, we rewrote its road presence,” he said. The goal was to create something that felt familiar yet entirely new: “wider, lower, more assertive.”

Tigran Lalayan added that the process evolved “pretty naturally,” beginning with a broad ideation phase combining analogue and digital sketching. The team deliberately tested extremes, creating what he called “a healthy bandwidth of proposals.”

He described moving through iterative phases with the client before distilling a final direction. Once selected, the design was developed in polygonal modelling using Blender, allowing early validation before moving into CAD. This, he said, also gave engineering “a good chance to have an early kickstart.”

McLachlan highlighted the importance of collaboration between design and engineering, asking how tensions were resolved.

“We found the right chemistry from the beginning, and it never left us throughout the project”

Lalayan responded that the client was unusually well prepared. “They had a very clear vision, yet remained genuinely open to ours,” he said, adding that this balance is rare. While the package was “very challenging,” the openness on both sides allowed progress.

Focusing on the design itself, the team explained how increased width became a defining characteristic. “We wanted to celebrate the width,” one designer said, describing pronounced shoulders and flared fenders that created a triangular gesture in plan view, a signature often found in Pininfarina work.

They also retained key NSX cues, including the pop-up headlights, which were modernised but preserved as a character-defining feature. Other elements, such as the side air intake and rear wing with integrated lights, were reinterpreted for contemporary performance.

Dimitri Vicedomini noted that the collaboration carried strong creative chemistry from the outset: “We found the right chemistry from the beginning, and it never left us throughout the project.”

Following the model reveal, JAS Motorsport CEO Alessandro Mariani reinforced this, saying, “We arrived at the same conclusion after clarifying our ideas. It was very easy to work together.” He added that the shared goal was to improve “performance, drivability and passion for the driver.”

Reflecting on the NSX choice, Mariani explained it was a natural fit given JAS Motorsport’s long-standing relationship with Honda since 1997. “We always knew the NSX was an icon,” he said, making it a meaningful candidate for reinterpretation.

When asked about proportions, he admitted, “I never liked the shape of the original,” particularly the long rear section. By widening the car and extending the wheelbase, he felt the design achieved a better balance: “Now the rear is much more proportioned with the front.”

The engineering team added that CFD validation confirmed improvements in performance without compromising emotional character. “The numbers are much better, but the feeling of the car stays the same,” Mariani said.

Closing the discussion, Dellachà reflected on Pininfarina’s broader direction, noting that “we like to keep ourselves busy.” He highlighted the company’s vast archive as an ongoing source of inspiration, adding that while he is an engineer, he brings “passion for cars into the discussion.”

He concluded that Pininfarina is increasingly operating across mobility and living as a shared ecosystem, focused on long-term value. The company, he said, will continue to expand into new sectors when opportunities feel meaningful, stating simply: “Definitely a lot of things to do and to explore.”

Finally, Dimitri Vicedomini summarised the philosophy behind the work, saying, “Making things simple is one thing, but simple and meaningful is another story.” For Pininfarina, he added, the goal remains constant: to preserve identity while continuously evolving it for the future.