Neapolitan who turned Ghia name into symbol of automotive style
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| Luigi Segre at his desk at the workshop of Carrozzeria Ghia, which he turned into a global brand |
Segre was only 43 when he died but left a lasting legacy as the driving force behind the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia sports car, which proved that beauty and style in automobile design could also be affordable.
It was so successful that when car giants Ford acquired Segre’s former company in 1970 they gave the Ghia name to top-of-the-range versions of their most popular models.
Segre had been working in his father’s construction business in Naples when Italy became embroiled in World War Two. He was a soldier in the Italian army but after the 1943 armistice took up arms against the Nazi occupiers of his home city, taking part in the uprising known as the Quattro giornate di Napoli - the Four Days of Naples - which cost 300 Italian lives but successfully drove out the German forces ahead of the arrival of Allied troops.
He volunteered to fight with the Allies, who gave him some training and sent him to northern Italy on behalf of American intelligence as a liaison officer, parachuted in behind enemy lines to work with partisan groups in Piedmont.
He learned English quickly, earning the respect of his commanders, and his bravery impressed the Allies, who helped him secure a university place at the end of the conflict. He graduated in engineering and took a job with Siata, a small car manufacturer based in Turin which also made mopeds, a mode of transport that was hugely in demand as Italy struggled with war-damaged roads.
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| The VW Karmann Ghia, the stylish sports coupé built on the chassis of the VW Beetle family car |
Carrozzeria Ghia’s market was largely domestic, making custom bodies for Italian manufacturers such as Fiat and Alfa Romeo, but Segre wanted to expand into global markets. He travelled to the United States, where his fluent English and his familiarity with Americans, due to his wartime activities, enabled him to forge a relationship with Chrysler and its chief designer, Virgil Exner, which would ultimately lead to 18 Chrysler Ghia cars.
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, the project that ultimately defined Segre’s legacy, came about through his connection with Wilhelm Karmann, the owner of a German coachbuilding company based in Osnabrück, in the northwest of the country. They would often meet at international motor shows.
Karmann had worked with Volkswagen before and was aware that the company, whose success had been built on the utilitarian Beetle family car, wanted to enhance its range with something more sporty. It was a contract he was keen to land and in 1952 he and Segre hatched a plan to build a sports coupé that could be mounted on a Beetle chassis.
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| Luigi Segre with Wilhelm Karmann, with whom he worked on the Karmann Ghia |
The result was a car that had the look of an expensive marque, with sweeping, sculpted lines and elegant, low-slung proportions, but was as simple to drive and as economical to run as its parent Beetle.
Production ran from 1955 to 1974, with almost half a million of the cars sold. It cemented the "Ghia" name into the vocabulary of mainstream car buyers worldwide.
Sadly, Segre did not live to enjoy many years of Ghia success. After Mario Boano left the business in 1953, Segre became sole owner in 1954 and hired well-respected designers such as Pietro Frua to ensure Ghia continued to be at the forefront of the market.
However, in February, 1963, following successful surgery to remove kidney stones, his health suddenly and unexpectedly deteriorated and he died in a Turin clinic.
Doctors blamed a viral infection, possibly one he had picked up on a business trip to Brazil, but this was not confirmed. He was survived by his wife, Luisa, whom he had married in 1955, and their two sons, Edmondo and Silvio.
Luisa subsequently sold most of the Carrozzeria Ghia business. It was acquired by Ford in 1970 and remains in that company’s ownership, helping craft designs for the European market from its headquarters in Corso Guglielmo Marconi in Turin.
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| The Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples was badly damaged during a World War Two bombing raid |
Naples was the most heavily bombed Italian city during World War Two, enduring roughly 200 Allied air raids and extensive damage from retreating German forces. Following the war, a massive effort was undertaken to resurrect its historic centre. Among the buildings worst affected were the Basilica di Santa Chiara, the 18th-century Baroque interior of which was ruined along with historic frescoes when a bombing raid triggered a fire that burned for two days, causing the roof to collapse. Restorers stripped away the damaged plaster to reveal and rebuild the church’s original 14th-century Gothic architecture. The Royal Palace of Naples was damaged several times, including by the catastrophic March 1943 explosion of the ammunition ship Caterina Costa in the nearby port. Bombing raids damaged the palace's facades, collapsed the roof of the Court Theatre, and destroyed the palace chapel. The Teatro di San Carlo, Europe's oldest continuously active opera house, sustained direct bomb damage in 1943. The auditorium only narrowly escaped complete demolition, and the foyer and adjacent structural sections were also badly hit. Amazingly, in view of its huge cultural importance, it was one of the first buildings to receive emergency aid. Under the direction of Allied authorities and local craftsmen, it was rapidly patched up and fully restored by 1948.
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_-_Test_Track.jpg "Fiat's vast Lingotto Factory was renowned for its rooftop test track, which was 1,500m in length") |
| Fiat's vast Lingotto Factory was renowned for its rooftop test track, which was 1,500m in length |
Turin’s identity is closely connected with the Italian automotive industry, earning it the nickname the "Detroit of Italy." The association began in 1899 with the founding of FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) by Giovanni Agnelli. By 1906, Turin was home to more than 20 car manufacturers. The city benefited from strategic advantages, including cheap hydroelectric power from nearby Alpine lakes and a direct rail link to France through the Frejus tunnel, which accelerated early technical exchange. The crowning symbol of this era was Fiat’s Lingotto Factory, an architectural marvel completed in 1923, featuring a test track on its roof where newly-assembled vehicles were put through their paces. As well as large-scale manufacturing, Turin became a global centre for elite automotive design and specialised coachbuilding, becoming the home of great design houses such as Pininfarina and Bertone. Today, its engineering prowess lives on through cultural institutions such as MAUTO - The National Automobile Museum - which exhibits more than 200 cars from 80 global manufacturers.
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Read also:
Filippo Illuminato, the 13-year-old partisan who gave his life for the city of Naples
Battista 'Pinin' Farina, the little brother who became a giant of car design
Why Giorgetto Giugiaro has been described as the most influential auto designer of the 20th century
Also on this day:
1817: The death of painter Andrea Appiani
1830: The death of Francis I of the Two Sicilies
1931: The birth of film director Paolo Taviani
1936: The birth of actress Virna Lisi
1942: The birth of footballer Sandro Mazzola
1979: The birth of actor Salvatore Cascio
1982: The birth of golfer Francesco Molinari