Ercole Spada (born 26 July 1937 in

Busto Arsizio Busto Arsizio (; lmo, label= Bustocco, Büsti Grandi) is an Italian city and ''comune'' in the south-easternmost part of the Province of Varese, in the region of Lombardy, in Northern Italy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is main ...

) is an Italian

automobile design Automotive design is the process of developing the appearance (and to some extent the ergonomics) of motor vehicles - including automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. The functional design and development of a modern motor ...

er. His most notable designs were produced in the 1960s, for the

Zagato Zagato is an independent coachbuilding company and total design centre located northwest of Milan in Terrazzano, a small village near Rho, Lombardy, Italy. The company's premises occupies an area of 23,000 square metres (250,000 sq ft)- 11,000 of ...

design studio house, where Spada was chief stylist. During this period some of the most notable

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

s by

Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC is an English manufacturer of luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Steered from 1947 by David Brown, it became associated with ...

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

, as well as

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

Abarth Abarth & C. S.p.A. () is an Italian racing and road car maker and performance division founded by Italo-Austrian Carlo Abarth in 1949. Abarth & C. S.p.A. is owned by Stellantis through its Italian subsidiary. Its logo is a shield with a styliz ...

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

and

Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...

were clothed by Spada's designs.

Background and early days

Spada earned a degree in industrial engineering from Istituto tecnico Feltrinelli in 1956. Following a military service, he joined Zagato in February 1960. The first design created by Spada for Zagato was the

Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato The Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato is a grand tourer sports car designed by Zagato and produced between 1960 and 1963. Introduced in October 1960 at the London Motor Show, it was effectively a DB4 GT, lightened and improved by the Zagato factory i ...

. Many avant-garde yet instantly-classic designs followed, soon becoming cornerstones of automotive design. Spada's designs were acknowledged as seminal by his fellow designers as well as by generations of new designers. One example of the attraction of Spada's work was the

Mazda MX-3 The Mazda MX-3 is a four-seat coupé front wheel drive manufactured and marketed by Mazda, introduced at the Geneva Auto Show#1991, Geneva Auto Show in March 1991 and marketed for model years 1992–1998. The MX-3 was also marketed as the Mazda ...

, which aimed to capture the magic of the

Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ The Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ (also known as the Alfa Romeo TZ or Tubolare Zagato) was a sports car and racing car manufactured by Alfa Romeo from 1963 to 1967. It replaced the Giulietta SZ. In 2011, the name was reduced from Giulia TZ to TZ in the n ...

design, according to its creators. Shortly before leaving Zagato, Spada designed one of the most modern looking cars of the era, the Alfa Romeo Junior Z, as well as the popular and dramatic

Lancia Fulvia The Lancia Fulvia (Tipo 818) is an automobile produced by Lancia between 1963 and 1976. Named after Via Fulvia, the Roman road leading from Tortona to Turin, it was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963 and manufactured in three variants: B ...

Sport. Spada joined

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

in 1970 to become chief designer at the Italian Ghia design house. This led to the creation of the ill-fated

Ford GT70 The Ford GT70 was a limited production sports car designed by Ercole Spada, made by Ford UK in 1970 and intended for use in the World Rally Championship. Designed to compete with high speed rally cars such as the Porsche 911 and Renault Alpine, ...

, which did not enter production at the last moment.

BMW

After leaving Ford and following a short stay at

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. Th ...

, Spada joined BMW's design center as chief stylist in 1976. During his stay with BMW, Spada created two major all-new designs with

Claus Luthe Claus Luthe (December 8, 1932 – March 17, 2008) was a German car designer, noted for his design work on the NSU Ro 80, Volkswagen K70 and numerous seminal models from Audi and BMW. Luthe was a pioneer of aerodynamics and digital design within ...

, the 7-series (1986–1994), and the BMW E34 5-series (1988–1996). Both embraced similar classic yet progressive lines, contributing to the success of the German company.

I.DE.A

In 1983 Spada returned to lead an Italian design house, this time

I.DE.A Institute I.DE.A Institute (acronym, Institute of Development in Automotive Engineering) was an automobile design and engineering company in Turin, Italy, founded in 1978. The Rieter Holding Ltd took full control of the company in 2002. In 2010, Rieter sol ...

, where he designed a string of

compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...

and

luxury Luxury may refer to: *Luxury goods, an economic good or service for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises *Luxury tax, tax on products not considered essential, such as expensive cars **Luxury tax (sports), surcharge put ...

cars, for

– the groundbreaking Tipo and Tempra siblings, the

Dedra and

Delta II Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family and entered service in 1989. Delta II vehicles included the Delta 6000, and the two later Delta 7000 va ...

, and the

Kappa Kappa (uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; el, κάππα, ''káppa'') is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, has a value o ...

. Other projects included the

Alfa Romeo 155 The Alfa Romeo 155 (Type 167) is a compact executive car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo between 1992 and 1998. It was unveiled in January 1992 at Barcelona, with the first public launch in March 1992, at the Geneva Motor S ...

and the

Daihatsu Move , commonly known as Daihatsu, is a Japanese automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest surviving Japanese internal combustion engine manufacturers. The company's headquarters are located in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture. Historically, Daihatsu was ...

. During his stay in I.DE.A Institute, Spada competed and won over major design contracts from Fiat, putting him in direct competition with his fellow Italian designer,

Giorgetto Giugiaro Giorgetto Giugiaro (; born 7 August 1938) is an Italian automotive designer. He has worked on supercars and popular everyday vehicles. He was born in Garessio, Cuneo, Piedmont. Giugiaro was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted ...

Zagato

Returning to Zagato in 1992, Spada brought with him new creative energy, which led to the introduction of the Ferrari FZ93, based on a regular 512 TR mechanics, as well as other notable designs.

Spadaconcept

Spada continues to work as a designer. He has joined his son, Paulo Spada, to create Spadaconcept, a new design house aimed at automotive and

industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advan ...

Notable designs

* 1960

Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ The Alfa Romeo Giulietta (''Tipo 750'' and ''Tipo 101'', meaning "Type 750" and "Type 101") is a family of automobiles made by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1954 until 1965 which included a 2+2 coupé, four-door saloon, estate, spide ...

* 1960 O.S.C.A 1600 GTZ * 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ2 ''Coda Tronca'' * 1962 Alfa Romeo 2600 SZ * 1962 Lancia Flavia Sport * 1963

* 1963 Lancia Flaminia Super Sport * 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2 * 1965 Lancia Fulvia Sport * 1967 Lancia Flavia Super Sport * 1967 Rover 2000 TCZ * 1969 Alfa Romeo Junior Z * 1969

Volvo GTZ The Volvo GTZ and GTZ 3000 are Swedish concept cars built for Volvo. Both were designed by Zagato, with the GTZ debuting at the 1969 Turin Auto Show on the Zagato stand and the GTZ 3000 debuting the following year at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show. ...

* 1970 Volvo GTZ 3000 * 1970

* 1972

Iso Varedo The Iso Varedo was a concept car produced by Italian car manufacturer Iso Autoveicoli S.p.A. in 1972 styled by Ercole Spada. It was unveiled at the 1972 Turin Motor Show. Only one Varedo was ever built. It currently resides at the Sarasota Cla ...

* 1973 Alfa Romeo Scarabeo II * 1987

BMW 7 Series (E32) The BMW E32 is the second generation of the BMW 7 Series luxury cars and was produced from 1986 until 1994. It replaced the E23 and was initially available with straight-six or V12 powerplants. In 1992, V8 engines became available. From its ince ...

* 1988

BMW 5 Series (E34) The BMW E34 is the third generation of the BMW 5 Series, which was produced from November 2, 1987, until 1996. Initially launched as a sedan in January 1988, the E34 also saw a "Touring" station wagon (estate) body style added in September 1992 ...

* 1988 Ferrari PPG Indy Pace Car * 1988

Fiat Tipo The Fiat Tipo (Type 160) is a compact car, designed by the I.DE.A Institute design house, and produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1988 and 1995. The Tipo was initially available only as a five-door hatchback. The car was made entir ...

* 1989

Lancia Dedra The Lancia Dedra (Type 835) is a compact executive car produced by the Italian automaker Lancia from 1989 to 1999. It was initially designed to support, and later to replace, the Prisma that, six years after its launch, was having difficulty rema ...

* 1990

Fiat Tempra The Fiat Tempra (Type 159) is a small family car produced by the Italian automaker Fiat from 1990 to 1996 in Italy. The Tempra was intended as a replacement for the Fiat Regata. The original project was called ''Tipo 3'', being a mid size car be ...

* 1992

* 1993 Ferrari FZ93, renamed ES1 * 1993 Lancia Delta II * 1993

Nissan Terrano II The Nissan Terrano II (known as the in Japan) is a compact SUV manufactured by the Japanese automaker Nissan from 1993 to 2005. It was also made by Nissan's Spanish subsidiary '' Nissan Motor Ibérica S.A.'' for the European market, where it w ...

* 1994

Lancia Kappa The Lancia Kappa or Lancia k (Type 838) is an executive car manufactured and marketed by Italian manufacturer Lancia from 1994–2000, with saloon, estate, and coupé variants — sharing platforms with the Alfa Romeo 166. The Kappa has a f ...

* 2001 OSCA 2500 GT Dromos * 2008

Spada Codatronca The Spada Codatronca (sometimes called the SVS Codatronca) is an Italian-built supercar introduced by Spada Vetture Sport in 2008. A convertible version, the Spada Codatronca Monza, was introduced in 2012. Both cars used a modified chassis and eng ...

File:DB4GT Zagato at Goodwood.jpg,

File:Alfa-Romeo Giulia TZ 1 000 000 1963-1965 backright 2012-04-13 A.jpg,

File:Alfa.JPG, Alfa Romeo 2600 SZ File:Chelsea Auto Legends 2012 (7948692734).jpg, Series I Lancia Fulvia Sport 1.3 S File:Lancia Flavia Super Sport (18095192871).jpg, Lancia Flavia Super Sport File:Bonhams - The Paris Sale 2012 - Alfa Romeo Junior Z - 1975 - 012.jpg, Alfa Romeo Junior Z File:Bmw e34 2 jaslo.jpg,

File:BMW 7-Series.jpg,

File:1994 Fiat Tipo S IE 1.4 Front.jpg,

Fiat Tipo (type 160) The Fiat Tipo (Type 160) is a compact car, designed by the I.DE.A Institute design house, and produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat between 1988 and 1995. The Tipo was initially available only as a five-door hatchback. The car was made entir ...

File:Lancia Kappa rear 20110130.jpg,

File:Alfa Romeo 155 (photo by Serge Zinnsee).jpg,

File:Zagato FZ93.jpg, The Ferrari FZ93 at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed

References

Sources

* Ercole Spada himself * ERCOLE SPADA – 40 Years Devoted to Car Design, Car Styling Magazine, Volume 131 (July 1999) * Penny Sparke, A Century of Car Design (2002) * Paolo Tumminelli, Car Design (2004) * Robert Edwards Aston Martin: Ever the Thoroughbred (2003) * Michele Marchianò, Le Zagato – Fulvia Sport / Junior Z (2005) * Carlo Stella and Bruno Vettore, Zagato Fulvia Sport Competizione (2003) * Hilton Holloway and Martin Buckley, A–Z of Cars (2002) * Winston Scott Goodfellow, Iso Rivolta: The Men, the Machines (2001) * https://web.archive.org/web/20070927005823/http://www.austin-rover.co.uk/index.htm?zagatoprotof.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20070205081715/http://www.lanciaflavia.it/archivio_carrozzieri/zagato.php * http://www.classicdriver.com/uk/magazine/3300.asp?id=13351

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20070304085206/http://www.spadaconcept.com/
Coachbuild.com encyclopedia: Spadaconcept
*http://www.zagato.it/ *http://www.zagato-cars.com/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20080414182755/http://www.idea.institute.it/eng/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20080216075052/http://www.conceptcars.it/stilisti/spada.htm *https://www.webcitation.org/6CN8mVEjO?url=http://www.bmwism.com/bmws_designers.htm Ercole Spada on the page ''BMW Designers'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Spada, Ercole Italian automobile designers 1937 births Living people BMW designers People from Busto Arsizio