Ercole Spada's car
01/25/2020
Last Thursday evening, Ercole Spada, the famous Zagato chief designer from 1959 to 1969, paid his respects at the "Swiss Car Register Academy" in Safenwil. This time, however, he was not the center of attention; as a proud father, he accompanied his son Paolo, who is responsible for the design of the e.go "Life" and "Mover" models.
The e.go Life (seen in the background) was also on display, as was Ercole Spada's only car bearing his design, which he also owns. "All the other models I have designed are too expensive for me," he smiles, knowing that the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, which he designed in 1959 and which is now one of the most sought-after classics and most beautiful models in the world, is labeled with a price tag of over EUR 10 million...
Back to his car: he designed it himself, of course. In his private garage, Zagato sheet metal artist Bruno Gezzi hammered the aluminum for the body to shape after work. Spada used a Fiat 500 model as the basis. The approximately 20 hp of the engine had to get the 440 kg of the car moving. As always with his designs, Spada took care to achieve the greatest possible wind resistance and the lowest possible center of gravity. The recesses for the driver and passenger seats were "lowered" (i.e. lowered) and the fuel tank was virtually moved to the rear axle. This was intended to improve traction. The car was also compact and therefore certainly a source of constant driving pleasure ...
