Bruno Sacco, Who Designed the Car You Think of When You Think of a Mercedes, Has Died

• Bruno Sacco, who defined what we think of when we think of a modern Mercedes, has died.

• Sacco oversaw the biggest-selling models in the brand’s history, from the 190 to the SL roadster and all the cars, trucks, and SUVs made from 1975 to 1999 and beyond.

• He wanted his designs to show the quality and technological superiority of each vehicle.

When you think of a modern Mercedes, you’re probably thinking of a car penned under the direction of Bruno Sacco.

Born in Italy in 1933, Sacco brought a very subtle Italian flair to the very conservative house of Mercedes at a time when the name was becoming a major consumer force on the world market.

Sacco passed away September 19 at the age of 90.

“You can recognize good design,” he once said, “by the lack of schnick schnack.”

None of his cars had any schnick schnack.

Sacco reigned over the design department during a time when Mercedes cars were the best in the world, and he wanted his designs to show that.

For the first decade and a half of his reign there was no Lexus (which you could argue copied Sacco’s creations, at least at first), no Acura, no Infiniti, and other competitors weren’t up to the strengths they now possess, at least design-wise.

He oversaw the creation of every Mercedes car, truck, bus, and SUV for a quarter century. Those included cars you may have owned and enjoyed, like the 190, at the time the best-selling car Mercedes had ever produced. But he also oversaw the making of the SL convertible, three generations of S-Class, the CLK, and SLK sporty cars, and the big-selling M-Class SUV, the latter a vehicle that brought luxury to the once largely truck-based SUV class.

“I was lucky to be able to take over a relatively young team of designers, and I could feel that my employees had the drive to create something which they had not been previously free to do. We attempted to remain true to the company’s tradition, such as with the W126. That was the first vehicle I was responsible for. We attempted to create something fresh but which did not completely negate the past. This was the birth of a philosophy, which was later named the Mercedes Design Philosophy.”

Do you have a Sacco Mercedes? Let us know below.