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Top of the 5 Car Designers of All Time

The Corvette Sting Ray, BMW 7 Series and Jaguar E-Type. These are all iconic vehicles loved by many. Although we might have our favorite cars, most people aren’t familiar with the car designers who created such incredible works of art.

Here are five of the top car designers of all time, brought to you by all of us at 19th Autobody Center San Fransisco, where we have seen many of these vehicles here in San Francisco, CA:

1.) Paul Bracq

A pioneer in automotive safety, Paul Bracq was a French car designer who worked for a variety of European auto manufacturers. They include Citroen, Peugeot, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. During the 1970s, Bracq was responsible for the design of the BMW 7 series. He was also known for designing limousines for the president of France and the Pope’s vehicles. Some of the safety features he developed include crumple zones and rollover protection.

2.) Harley Earl

An influential car designer, Harley Earl is considered a pioneer of the automotive industry and headed the design department at General Motors. His design techniques, which include freeform sketching and hand-sculpted clay models of vehicles—are still used in the industry today. Known for creating the “concept car,” his designs include the 1927 Cadillac LaSalle, the “Tailfin” introduced in 1948,  the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, and also the practice of using camouflage on Army vehicles during World War II.

3.) Giorgetto Giugiaro

Often placed at the top of the list of top automotive designers, Giorgetto Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation. Three years later, he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. Known for his designs in the luxury and sport car markets, they include the Alfa Romeo 2600, the BMW M1, the Bugatti EB218 and the Maserati Ghibli. He has also worked on vehicles for Fiat, Ford and Hyundai. In addition, the designer came up designs for Nikon camera bodies and Apple computer prototypes.

4.) Bill Mitchell

Those who love muscle cars will most likely be familiar with Bill Mitchell, the designer of the Corvette Sting Ray. Mitchell was hired at General Motors in Detroit in 1935 and worked at the corporation during his entire career. While there, he was responsible for iconic vehicles such as the Cadillac Coupe DeVille and the Chevrolet Camaro. In 1998, he was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame.

5.) Malcolm Sayer

An airplane designer during World War II, Malcolm Sayer was known for incorporating aerodynamics into his car designs. When he joined Jaguar in 1951, he helped design a British post-war racing car—the C-type Jaguar—to rival the competition on the market. The vehicle won Le Mans for three years consecutively. He was also responsible for designing beautiful and iconic cars such as the D-Type, E-Type and XJ13, and worked at Jaguar for more than 20 years. His designs are still used on roads and racetracks today.

Sources: Forbes, Wikipedia and Car & Driver