The 2016 Most Beautiful Book of the Year award (Grand Prix du Plus Beau Livre de l'Annee) at the recently held 32nd International Automobile Festival in Paris was awarded to Gautam Sen for his Marcello Gandini: Maestro of Design.
The Indian automotive journalist’s and writer’s book was published by US-based Dalton Watson Fine Books and is a two-volume set of 400 pages each. It records the work of the man who designed the Lamborghini Miura, Countach and Diablo.
Marcello Gandini was also responsible for the design of the first-generation BMW 5-series, the VW Polo, the Fiat X1/9, the Alfa Romeo Montreal, Ferrari 308 GT4, Maserati Quattroporte II and IV, and the Lancia Stratos. His work also includes designs for cars made by Bugatti, Citroën, Fiat and Renault.
Reviews of the book suggest that Sen has put together aspects of the reclusive designer’s life and work beautifully. This was a challenge as Gandini generally shies away from the limelight and is reluctant to look back at his work. But the effort paid off and the result is a book that features over a hundred designs and 924 images, some previously unpublished, of exquisite designs by Gandini.
Of all automotive books published in 2016, including those written in French, German and Japanese, Sen’s emerged a winner.
Thousand editions of the book exist, 400 of which are signed by both Marcello Gandini and Gautam Sen. They can be purchased online at Dalton Watson Fine Books.