Marks and Classic Driver celebrate Marcello Gandini’s wedged wonders in Munich

The automotive world lost a legend this year when the influential car designer Marcello Gandini passed away in March at age 85. As a young designer at the Bertone studio, Gandini created some of the most alluring sportscars of the 1960s and 1970s, including the Lamborghini Miura and Countach, the Maserati Khamsin and the Lancia Stratos. Besides the razor-sharp Italian supercars, the maestro from Turin also penned more modest, but equally influential cars such as the BMW Garmisch concept and the first BMW 5 Series, the Citroën BX and the Fiat X1/9. Hailed as the father of the geometric wedge design movement, Marcello Gandini has influenced the shape of the automobile for decades and inspired many of today’s leading designers.

On September 13, Marks & Cars and Classic Driver celebrated the legacy of Marcello Gandini and the era of wedge design with a tribute event at Marks Feinkost in Munich and a selection of Gandini’s greatest creations: While BMW Classic had brought the lost and recently recreated Garmisch concept and the first BMW 5 Series that was inspired by it, Audi Tradition arrived from Ingolstadt with a modest yellow Audi 50 – a car not many people know was designed by Gandini – and the futuristic Audi Quartz, a 1981 show car designed by Pininfarina and not Gandini, but heavily influenced by the wedge design movement of the era.

Still, the most iconic of Gandini’s creations for Bertone were brought to Marks & Cars by private collectors and enthusiasts: Dirk Rumpff of Flitzer Club fame and Stephan Sigrist from the influential W.i.r.e. think tank both arrived from Zurich in their matching green Maserati Khamsin and Ferrari 308 GT4 Dino, while local Marks collaborator Christophe Schmid of local collector car dealership Weekend Heroes sourced many local Gandini unicorns, including a silver Lamborghini Miura S that matched perfectly with the Lamborghini Diablo GT and Bugatti EB110 sporting the same elegant colour.

While Marcello Gandini developed the prototypes of both supercars, he did not supervise the final designs. The tribute display was completed by a bright orange Alfa Romeo Montreal, a Lamborghini Espada and a Maserati Quattroporte IV – once again reminding us of the fantastic variety of the design master’s oevre.

While Gandini’s greatest creations were on display outside on the road, the influence and impact of the visionary designer on car history and creative culture in general was discussed inside Marks during a conversation program. Moderating the design talk, Classic Driver CEO J. Philip Rathgen was joint by leading designers and creative minds, including Tobias Krengel, BMW designer and co-founder of The Hofmeisters, Audi designers Stephan Fahr-Becker and Marco dos Santos, as well as interior designer Robert Stephan.

After last year’s inaugural Marks & Cars events was embraced enthusiastically by Munich’s collector car scene, the second edition had promised to contemporary celebrate car culture in the same positive and casual atmosphere. And despite the chilly temperatures and rain, the city’s automotive scene arrived in full style, parallel-parking an even more remarkable line-up of rare and unusual automobiles on Kufsteiner Platz. Together with BMW's Head of Design Adrian van Hooydonk we looked back on the fascinating story of the Garmisch's return, while racing legend Karl Wendlinger reminded us of the golden era of 1990s Formula 1 racing.

Following the wedge design theme, were an orange BMW M1 and a black Ferrari Testarossa, parked across the spiritual ancestors in form of two yellow Ferraris, a Daytona and a Dino, the latter formerly owned by a certain Elton John. Meanwhile, Munich once again proved to be a treasure chest of collector cars, with a beautiful burgundy Mercedes 300SL Roadster and a white Porsche 911 2.7 RS defying the pouring rain. BMW M even chose Marks & Cars as a platform to showcase their all-new M5 Touring to the local petrolhead community.

And there was another reason to celebrate: Run by Cornelius Dornier and his business partner Kaspar Triller, Marks Feinkost is commemorating it’s 60th birthday this year. The renowned delicatessen store and bistro on Kufsteiner Platz in Munich first opened its doors in 1964 – the same year that the young Marcello Gandini first approached Nuccio Bertone to apply for an apprenticeship. Since then, Marks has become a Munich institution, a destination for gourmets and connoisseurs of the finer things in life – and a meeting place for the city’s vibrant collector car scene.

The Marks & Cars event series was created by Dornier and Triller to bring this like-minded crowd and their machines together for a joyful late summer afternoon. Classic Driver was delighted to support the Marks & Cars event as a media partner for the second time – and we cannot wait to start planning next year’s edition.