The car stylists behind my Garage

Today, I was reading an excellent article on Curbside Classic about the legendary Paul Bracq.   Bracq had a long career with Mercedes Benz, BMW, Peugeot.  He also worked at an independent styling house.   Part one covers his time at Mercedes-Benz and part two the rest of his career.   I highly recommend this article.

Bracq was responsible for one of Mercedes-Benz most elegant designs of the post war period, the W111 Coupe/Cabriolet.  He was also integral to the W108/W109, W114/W115 and the W113 Pagoda.     Later in his career he also styled the E24 6 Series, another favourite of mine.

This article got me thinking about the car stylists behind the cars in my garage.   The visual appeal of all the cars I have ever owned are the work of the six individuals below.   It is particularly impressive to think that during the 60s, Mercedes Benz had Geiger, Bracq and Sacco all working in their styling department.

From what I have read, Malcolm Sayer never considered himself a stylist.  He always considered himself an Aerodynamicist.  This is rather ironic as the Jaguar E-type is not especially aerodynamic.  It is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

StylistDesignCurrent CarsPrevious CarsOther Notable Designs
David Bache
(1925-1994)
Rover P5/P5B-1965 Rover P5 MKII CoupeRover P6, Range Rover, Rover SD1
Flamino Bertoni
(1903-1964)
Citroen DS
Traction Avant
1970 Citroen DS211954 Citroen Traction Avant Light 15Citroen H Van
Paul Bracq
(1933- )
Mercedes-Benz W111 Coupe/Cabriolet1965 Mercedes-Benz 250SE Cabriolet1967 250SE CoupeMercedes W108, W114/115, BMW E21, BMW Turbo
Frederich Geiger
(1907-1996)
Mercedes-Benz R/C1071977 Mercedes-Benz 450SLC1982 280CE*, 1985 230E* (* with Sacco)Mercedes 500/540K Roadster, 300SL Gullwing, 600, W110/111 Sedans
Malcolm Sayer
(1916-1970)
Jaguar E-Type1965 Jaguar E-Type S1-Jaguar XJS, Jaguar C & D Types
Bruno Sacco
(1933- )
Mercedes-Benz W1261986 Mercedes-Benz 300SE, 1987 560SEC, 1987 560SEL1988 & 1989 Mercedes 560SEC, 1982 280CE*, 1985 230E* (* with Geiger)Mercedes W124, W201, C111 Concept

All these men belong on a broader list of the great stylists of the 20th Century.   This is not that list.   There are many others that would need to be considered.   It does highlight how prolific some of these stylists were.  It also shows how so many cars I like were the work of a few individuals.

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