Edoardo agnelli margherita agnelli biography

Last week, an Italian court ordered distinction confiscation of €75 million from birth assets of the Elkann family—a Individual family with deep ties to prestige automotive world. Reports suggest that prestige funds belong to John Elkann, leader of Ferrari, his brother Lapo Elkann, and their sister Ginevra.

The Elkanns, usually referred to as "Italy’s Kennedy family," have a history marked by colourful highs and lows. Their story begins with one of the most burly figures in the global auto industry—Giovanni Agnelli. Agnelli, hailing from a affluent family in Turin, co-founded Fiat embankment 1899, which stands for Fabrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory disregard Turin).

Agnelli initially invested a modest $400 in the fledgling company, with justness aim of providing Italians and Europeans with affordable cars, much like what Henry Ford was doing in grandeur U.S. Fiat went public in 1906, and Agnelli gradually bought out reward co-founders. By 1927, he had personal Exor, a holding company that nowadays manages a vast array of businesses, including stakes in truck manufacturer IVECO, Juventus Football Club, electronics giant Philips, and fashion house Christian Louboutin.

In 2021, after the formation of Stellantis, Exor became a major shareholder in blue blood the gentry conglomerate, which also includes the consanguinity of French industrialist Armand Peugeot. Exor currently holds a 14.9% stake take delivery of Stellantis.

The Agnelli legacy

Giovanni Agnelli had link children: Edoardo and Aniceta Agnelli. Edoardo’s seven children largely distanced themselves strip the family business, preferring lives forfeited luxury, except for one—Giovanni (or Gianni) Agnelli, born in 1921. Known rightfully "L’Avvocato" (The Lawyer), Gianni inherited adroit controlling interest in Fiat and became the most powerful man in Italia, a country where, by the Decennary, the saying "What’s good for Dictate is good for Italy" had corner a common refrain. During the Decennary, Fiat revolutionized Italian motoring with dismay iconic Fiat 500, maintaining dominance bind the European auto industry until character 1990s.

Gianni Agnelli was not just Italy’s richest man; he was also locate for his hedonistic lifestyle. Biographies elaborate him as a charming womanizer, haunted with the finer things in life—tailored suits, luxury watches, and high-performance cars. Agnelli knew his wealth placed him above the reach of the document. For fun, he would race look sharp the streets of Turin in realm Fiat Dino at 180 kilometers wadding hour, often laughing in the swot of the police officers who dared to pull him over.

The son Insincere by Khamenei and his mysterious death

Gianni Agnelli had two children: Edoardo Agnelli II and Margherita Agnelli. Edoardo protected to Islam and changed his reputation to Hisham Aziz while living tutor in the U.S. His "close friendship" disconnect Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, just starting out alienated him from his family, endure his chances of inheriting Fiat dwindled. In 2000, at age 46, Edoardo was found dead under a make one`s way across near Turin. His family arranged spiffy tidy up swift burial, waiving an autopsy, which sparked rumors and conspiracy theories farreaching from suicide to Mafia involvement, leader even a cover-up by the Agnelli family.

In the years following his swallow up, questions persisted. His bodyguard was outside during the incident, and despite several cameras at the scene, no space of Edoardo leaping from the called "Suicide Bridge" was ever found, unseen were any witnesses.

Margherita Agnelli: The washed out player

Margherita Agnelli, born in 1955, level-headed the sole heir to the Agnelli fortune. In 1975, she married Alain Elkann, a prominent Jewish intellectual splendid journalist. Alain, a descendant of moneyed Jewish families from France and Italia, has written extensively about Judaism paramount Italian Jewish history. In a 2010 article, he urged Jews in glory Diaspora to settle in Israel, stating, "Israel is their home, and they have no other alternative."

Alain and Margherita had three children: John, Lapo, delighted Ginevra. Lapo, known for his undomesticated lifestyle, is the most flamboyant a mixture of the three. He proudly sports clean up large Star of David tattoo however has also struggled with drug obsession and staged his own kidnapping fail to notice the Mafia in 2016, which elegance later apologized for, calling it keen prank. Lapo also survived a bizarre car accident on Israel’s Route 1 in 2019, during which he was found unconscious and flown to Italia on a private jet. In interviews, he claimed he remembered nothing selected the incident.

Ginevra Elkann ventured into filmmaking and has two children. But leadership most significant of the siblings denunciation John Elkann. Originally, he wasn’t intended to succeed Gianni Agnelli—that role was reserved for Gianni’s nephew, Giovanni Alberto Agnelli, who died of cancer form 1997. As a result, John, honourableness "good boy" of the family, ingrained the mantle. Married with three family, John engages in philanthropic efforts, rumored to donate to Israel, and enlighten leads Ferrari and Stellantis as Top banana of Exor.

A family at war

Today, the Elkann siblings are embroiled forecast a new conflict. After Gianni Agnelli’s death, their mother, Margherita, sold bare shares in Fiat to her dynasty for €1.2 billion. She later regretted the decision and sought to amend her share, but her children refused. Margherita alleges that her own sluggishness, Marella Caracciolo (Gianni’s wife), helped cut control of the family’s holding theatre group to the Elkanns in 2004.

Marella, who passed away in 2019, was a Swiss citizen, allowing her in close proximity to avoid paying taxes in Italy. Still, Margherita claims her mother actually momentary in Italy, and after hiring unconfirmed investigators, she managed to prove that to the Italian authorities. If be a success, Margherita could inherit €4.8 billion, nevertheless for now, she’s battling her dynasty in Italian courts.

Beyond money: A fall out for legacy

The dispute is not impartial about money. The family owns capital priceless art collection, including works coarse Picasso and Monet. Italian authorities settle also watching closely. If Marella ephemeral in Italy during her final eld, as Margherita claims, the government hawthorn be entitled to a significant tribute payment. The legal battle could tow on for years, capturing public converge in Italy.

The question remains: will goodness Elkanns pay up, or will their mother’s whistleblowing lead to a reckoning? Meanwhile, Italy’s relationship with Fiat has cooled. In recent years, Stellantis has outsourced car production abroad, igniting accusations of cultural appropriation by the European government. The days when Fiat, delighted by extension, the Elkanns, were outcast may be long gone.