You might not think it to look at today’s Mercedes product, but the was a time when its cars were known for their bluff good looks, unfussy styling and a distinct air of quality. That time can be given quite distinct parameters – it is the period between 1975 and 1999, when Bruno Sacco was responsible for how the Stuttgart carmaker’s output presented itself to the world. Although Italian by birth, Sacco had been rising through the ranks at Mercedes since he joined it in 1959. By the time he became head of the Daimler-Benz styling centre in Sindelfingen, he had thoroughly digested the company’s design and engineering culture and was able to oversee its rendition in some truly exceptional automobiles.
Sacco expressed the central tenet of
