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The two reigning Agnellis are as dissimilar in style as an 850 Sport Spider and a 128 family sedan. The 51-year-old Gianni, jet-setting celebrity and voluble charmer, is characteristically energetic and impatient. By contrast, Umberto so detests partygoing that friends say his marriage to Antonella Piaggio, whose family makes Vespa motor scooters, broke up three years ago partly because of her active social life. To relax, Umberto spends weekends sailing off the Sardinian coast, where he keeps a home, often with Girl Friend Allegra Caracciolo di Castagneto, a first cousin of Gianni's wife.
For all their differences, the two brothers show every sign of working well together. At Fiat's most recent annual meeting, Gianni held his customary sway oh the podium, reaching out occasionally to accept a lighted cigarette from Umberto. Yet when Umberto has something to say about autos, Italian businessmen have learned to listen. Especially if Fiat's profit picture improves, many of them expect Gianni to withdraw slowly from active management of Fiat, concentrate on the family's sidelines—including insurance, banking, real estate, publishing and other financial interests besides autos—and turn the auto business over to Umberto within a few years.