Celebrated Mercedes Designer Bruno Sacco Has Died

Italian car designer Bruno Sacco, best known for his storied career at Mercedes-Benz in the late 20th century, died at the age of 90 on 19 September, with news of his passing being made public over the weekend.

Born in Udine in northern Italy, Sacco studied mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic University of Turin, and soon after graduating, briefly worked for Italian coachbuilder Ghia. He moved to Germany in the late 1950s and found work with Mercedes, where he’d remain for the rest of his career. Eventually being made design chief in 1974, it was under his guidance that every Mercedes from then until his retirement in 1999 would be styled.

An early statement of intent of his was the C111 series of prototypes, mid-engined sports cars intended as testbeds for experimental engines such as rotaries and diesels.

His stewardship coincided with the peak of Mercedes’ reputation as an engineering powerhouse with exacting standards. His talent for crisp, restrained designs helped reinforce that reputation for solidity. These would include cars such as the station wagon version of the legendarily reliable W123, and the stately W126 S-Class as well as the two generations following it.

Later in his career, he would pen enduring designs like the 190, which would open Mercedes ownership up to a whole new audience, and the original M-Class, which opened the floodgates for the new wave of luxury SUVs that would emerge in the late ’90s and early ’00s.

Perhaps his most enduring design, though, is the R129 SL. Produced for 13 straight years between 1988 and 2001, Sacco’s modernist, angular lines on this car perfectly captured a moment when Mercedes cars were unparalleled in tech and build quality, and the fact that it’s quickly become a sought-after modern classic is a testament to how enduring a design it is.