Bruno Sacco - Timelessness as a design criterion (obituary)
Bruno Sacco, born on November 12, 1933, passed away on September 19, 2024. He spent practically his entire career with Mercedes-Benz, having worked for Ghia and Pinin Farina, among others, during his student days in Italy.
The first cars he worked on as a designer at Mercedes were the "big Mercedes" 600 and the "Pagoda" (230 to 280 SL). He was also involved in the C111.
He succeeded Friedrich Geiger as Head of the Styling Department and was responsible for the design of the W123 and W126 series, among other things. The term "Sacco boards" also dates from that time, referring to the side protection elements on the flanks of the S-Class, but also the Baby-Benz 190E or the W124. However, he himself did not like this term.
His aim was to create long-lasting designs that would simultaneously create brand identity and remain timeless. However, he also saw it as his task to design cars that buyers wanted:
"I am not a designer at Mercedes-Benz because I consider 'L'Art pour l'art' to be my motto, art for art's sake, but because I also want the cars for which I am responsible to be sold successfully."
He was particularly committed to the design of the R129 series SL. The result was convincing and still looks quite modern today, 35 years after its presentation.
Sacco worked for the former Daimler-Benz AG until 1999, most recently from 1975 and until his retirement as head designer of the Mercedes-Benz brand. We have a lot to thank him for!
Our thoughts are with his family and the bereaved.
