Bruno Sacco remains one of the industry’s most impactful designers nearly 25 years after his time at Mercedes-Benz ended. During his tenure, the company adapted to a changing industry, successfully pushed downmarket, and established an unmistakable familial look. Later on, it shook that formula up and challenged the idea of what a Mercedes could look like.

Sacco earned an internship at Ghia in 1955 after training at Turin’s Technical University of Engineering Science. The young designer also did some work for Pininfarina in 1957. Although the city was becoming a mecca for automotive styling, Sacco had his sights on working abroad. More specifically, he wanted to be employed by Mercedes-Benz. According to a 1998 New York Times article, this desire was twofold. Their racing cars of 1954 and 1955 made quite an impression on him. He was also captivated by the 300SL Gullwing.

Sacco began working in their Sindelfingen design center on January 13, 1958. He was just the second designer that the company had brought on. The first, Paul Bracq, was hired in March of 1957. Sacco only anticipated staying in Germany for a few years, but these plans changed after he met his future wife and had a child with her. Early on, he contributed to the W100-generation 600 and the W113-generation 230 SL Pagoda. While these were impressive projects to be involved in, Sacco believed that his way forward within the company was unclear. In an effort to advance his career, he left the styling section and took a position in the safety department under Bela Barenyi.

The C111 broke cover at the 1969 Frankfurt Motor Show. It was internally referred to as the C101 but this changed after Peugeot complained that it might be mistaken for one of its own cars. Mercedes, like many other automakers at the time, was exploring the viability of rotary engines. As such, the C111 is equipped with a 3-rotor Wankel unit that made 276 HP. It also featured a wedge-shaped fiberglass body and a striking orange paint job called Weissherbst. It referenced a popular type of wine.

Bruno Sacco quickly ascended the Mercedes-Benz hierarchy. After his return to styling, he was named the head of the body and dimensional design department in 1970. Four years later, the company appointed him as chief engineer. Just a year after that, he succeeded Friedrich Geiger as the head of the Mercedes Styling Department. Design was already becoming an increasingly important consideration for the company. The department had come a long way since his hiring in the late 50s. By the time he assumed the top post, it was 130-strong.

Horizontal homogeneity refers to the visual link between all models in a lineup. Vertical affinity refers to the connection that a new model shares with the old model. This would ensure that a Mercedes would always look like a Mercedes, regardless of its market positioning or model year.

TIMESTAMPS
0:00 INTRO
00:43 EARLY LIFE
05:23 CLASSIC YEARS
15:43 NEW STYLING LANGUAGE

SOURCES
www.barchetta.co/bruno-sacco-sources