Car designers are some of the biggest rock starts in the automotive industry. Some designs have inspired generations of gearheads.
We don’t often see the products of some of the top designers out on the road. Many of the functional vehicle we see are the result of our need for practicality on the road. When you want to see the designs offered by some of the top names in the industry, you’ll want to see what’s offered at various car shows with the creation of some amazing concept cars that cross the stage.
Here are seven of the most iconic car designers in automotive history.
Luc Donckerwolke
Donckerwolke is responsible for some of the most impressive designs during one of the most tumultuous times in the automotive industry. He persevered through the 2000s to give us the Audi A2, Lamborghini Gallardo, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, and Lamborghini Murcielago. These incredible cars are timeless and give us style and design elements we love to see. Even the A2 was a big hit, even though it was a stretch for the typically conventional and buttoned-up Audi brand.
Giorgetto Giugiaro
If the car is a stand out European model there’s a good chance Giorgetto Giugiaro had a hand in it. He is easily one of the most iconic car designers ever with several amazing models to his name. Some of his designs include the Aston Martin DB4, Lotus Esprit, and the 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Speciale. Giugiaro has designed cars for Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, BMW, Bugatti, Fiat, Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia, and Lamborghini. This is an incredible selection of high-end brand names that have trusted him to create their top models.
Battista Farina
The Pininfarina coach-building firm was founded by Battista Farina in 1930. This name has continued on as one of the top names in the auto industry because of the work of its founder. Some of the most impressive work from Battista Farina includes the Ferrari 212, Dino Berlinetta Speciale, and the Testarossa. His final design is one he never saw on stage, the Alfa Romeo Duetto, which was shown at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show a month after Farina passed away.
Ian Callum
Ian Callum might as well be British royalty. He is one of the most iconic car designers and has been responsible for bringing us various amazing names and models from the British brands. Some of the names to his credit are the Aston Martin Vanquish, and the Jaguar XK. He’s even responsible for the C-X75, which was a bit of a strange concept vehicle, but still one of the top designs. Callum wasn’t limited to British names and had a hand in the Nissan R390 and Ford RS200.
Marcello Gandini
Marcello Gandini is responsible for some of the most incredible Italian designs ever made. His influence has reached Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Renault. Of course, his most popular designs are the Lamborghini Countach and Miura. Gandini even had a role in creating the De Tomaso Pantera, Fiat X1/9, and Lancia Stratos. These cars hit all the high notes in their respective classes, giving us some amazing cars that delivered the performance, power, and designs that we love and admire to this day.
Gordon Murray
Gordon Murray is best known as the iconic car designer that brought us the McLaren F1. This car crushed auction records in 2021, but Murray has been instrumental in many other designs as well. He’s created many Formula One cars for Brabham and is now working on his own designs. Gordon Murray Automotive bringing the T.33 and T.50 to the world with both hitting the supercar market to change things for the better. Its easy to see why Murray is on this list as one of the world’s top designers.
Leonardo Fioravanti
Leonardo Foravanti might not be as well known as some of the other car designers, but his creations are just as incredible. Foravanti is responsible for the Ferrari Dino, 308, 328, and 512 Berlinetta. One of the top reasons the Ferrari 288 GTO was so special was because this man was the designer. The most unique creation from Foravanti is the Ferrari F40 which was an incredible car that could hit 200 mph and brought an amazing design to the supercar world.
These seven iconic car designers were pioneers and brought us some of the most amazing vehicles to ever hit the roads or tracks around the world.
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