Car studied physics and attained a doctorate in 1971 in nuclear technology at the Politecnico di Milano. He was a postdoc at the University of Milan from 1973 to 1974, an assistant at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) from 1977 to 1981, employed at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center of IBM from 1981 to 1983, associate professor for physics at SISSA in Trieste (in 1990/91 as full professor) from 1984 to 1990, and professor for physics at the University of Geneva (and director of the IRRMA of EPFL) from 1991 to 1999.
He is a professor in the Theory Department, of the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society.
He is a member of the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation.