In his over 50 years in the car business, Giorgetto Giugiaro, 66, took many crucial decisions, including leaving a safe job at Fiat Auto to become Bertone’s chief designer and to go solo at the green age of 28.
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But in the late afternoon of November 23, the most prolific car designer of automotive history took the decision which literally saved his life, Automotive News Europe said.
On holiday with a group of 11 friends for a cultural tour of Chad, Africa, at the last minute Giugiaro decided not to take the four-seat small executive jet which had already loaded his luggage.
“I never liked planes too small, so I opted to get the bigger, 12-seat one”, said a heavily shocked Giugiaro over the phone from Chad’s capital N’Djamena.
Giugiaro’s decision was more than wise: for circumstances still under investigation by Chad Military authorities, the small plane crashed, killing all four occupants.
In the crash, two of Giugiaro’s close friends perished: the trip organiser, Armando Mandelli, 67, CEO of Bollati Boringhieri publishing house and Dada Rosso, 58, a well known Turinese freelance journalist.
