In the automotive world, everyone loves to throw around words like “torque,” “aerodynamics,” and “modular architecture.”
But the truth is, 80% of people choose car X over car Y because it looks good. The rest are engineers or hybrid SUV salesmen in puffer jackets.
Behind that silhouette that makes you turn your head at the traffic light (and ignore the 3-cylinder engine humming like a moka pot) are the designers.
True style icons of the asphalt—think fashion designers, but with more carbon fiber and less silk.
Here are the most sought-after, celebrated, and beloved (though they prefer “worshipped”) names on the global scene.
Born in Nuoro in 1965, with a degree in Architecture from Florence specialized in Industrial Design, Manzoni is the man currently designing Ferraris.
Remember the LaFerrari? His. The 812 Superfast? Also his. The Purosangue? Yes, he even took on a SUV—and made it look like a greyhound mid-sprint.
Before arriving in Maranello, he sharpened his pencils at Lancia, Fiat, Volkswagen, and even Bentley. Today, he’s Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer, turning the brand into a runway of sensual forms—each one sculpted as if Michelangelo came back with access to a wind tunnel.
The only risk? In the pursuit of beauty, we might forget that a Ferrari is also supposed to growl. But Flavio doesn’t mind. He draws emotion—others can worry about the horsepower.Fun fact: In 2024, his Ferrari Purosangue was awarded the prestigious Compasso d’Oro.
Fun factotum, part two: The most famous Ferrari designer used to be a guy named Sergio Pininfarina… son of another guy who founded… well, you know the story.
But the truth is, 80% of people choose car X over car Y because it looks good. The rest are engineers or hybrid SUV salesmen in puffer jackets.
Behind that silhouette that makes you turn your head at the traffic light (and ignore the 3-cylinder engine humming like a moka pot) are the designers.
True style icons of the asphalt—think fashion designers, but with more carbon fiber and less silk.
Here are the most sought-after, celebrated, and beloved (though they prefer “worshipped”) names on the global scene.
Flavio Manzoni
The Sardinian poet who sculpts Ferraris like Greek statuesBorn in Nuoro in 1965, with a degree in Architecture from Florence specialized in Industrial Design, Manzoni is the man currently designing Ferraris.
Remember the LaFerrari? His. The 812 Superfast? Also his. The Purosangue? Yes, he even took on a SUV—and made it look like a greyhound mid-sprint.
Before arriving in Maranello, he sharpened his pencils at Lancia, Fiat, Volkswagen, and even Bentley. Today, he’s Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer, turning the brand into a runway of sensual forms—each one sculpted as if Michelangelo came back with access to a wind tunnel.
The only risk? In the pursuit of beauty, we might forget that a Ferrari is also supposed to growl. But Flavio doesn’t mind. He draws emotion—others can worry about the horsepower.Fun fact: In 2024, his Ferrari Purosangue was awarded the prestigious Compasso d’Oro.
Fun factotum, part two: The most famous Ferrari designer used to be a guy named Sergio Pininfarina… son of another guy who founded… well, you know the story.
Adrian van Hooydonk
The Dutchman who put BMW on steroidsBorn in 1964 in Echt, Netherlands, van Hooydonk studied Industrial Design in Delft and earned a master’s at Art Center Europe in Switzerland. Impeccable résumé—though since becoming BMW’s Head of Design in 2009, he’s made sure people notice… mostly thanks to grilles the size of a highway off-ramp.Yes, that XM front end? His doing. But so is the sophistication of the 8 Series and the concept-like elegance of the i8. Adrian is the king of contradictions: he designs cars that make you say “that’s hideous,” and two months later they’re your desktop wallpaper.Under his lead, BMW has never had this much personality. Or this many haters. Am I wrong?
Klaus Busse
The German who made Maserati sexyBusse hails from Germany, and like most Germans, cut his teeth designing for Mercedes. Then he crossed the Atlantic, worked for Chrysler in Detroit, and eventually fell under the spell of Modena—the land of handmade pasta and twin-turbo V6s.Since 2015, he’s been Head of Design at Maserati, signing off on models like the MC20 and the new GranTurismo. Educated in Stuttgart, Busse is partly responsible for the fact that a Maserati can now make your heart race (and your bank account cry).Klaus understood that Italian luxury needs sensual curves—and muscles. His cars look like they’ve driven straight out of a film where James Bond never even wrinkles his suit.
SangYup Lee
The man who made even Hyundai coolBorn in South Korea, a former sculptor and once an intern at Pininfarina (not exactly pizza and kimchi), SangYup worked at GM, VW, and Bentley. But his magnum opus is unfolding at Hyundai, where he leads global design with the quiet confidence of someone who knows exactly where he’s going. Even if the car’s electric and makes no sound (booooo).The Ioniq 5 is his most iconic signature: a boxy ride that looks like a Commodore 64 but is hip enough to make a Tesla blush. Then there’s the N Vision 74—a retro-futuristic concept that stole the hearts of even the die-hard petrolheads.SangYup is living proof that Korean design is no longer “inspired” by Europe. It’s Europe that’s now looking nervously toward Seoul.
Giorgetto Giugiaro
The grandfather of us all. And of the Golf.Born in 1938 in Garessio, Piedmont, he pretty much invented modern car design. Fiat, Volkswagen, Lotus, Alfa, Lancia… if an iconic car existed between 1965 and 2000, odds are he designed it.He studied in Turin, started at Fiat, moved to Bertone, then founded Italdesign in 1968. He’s the mind behind the VW Golf Mk1, the DeLorean DMC-12, the Panda, the Lotus Esprit—and dozens more. Today he works with his son at GFG Style.If you see him at a car show, kneel. He’s the Leonardo da Vinci of the bulging hood.
And then there are the lesser-known names.
In the undergrowth of automotive design—where the spotlight always shines on the same five people and the rest live off Instagram renderings—there are talents who deserve craft beer tributes and a Car Design News cover.
They’re the outsiders: the ones who haven’t (yet) signed off a Ferrari, but are rewriting the rulebook in the meantime.Frank Stephenson, for instance, is the guy who brought the Mini back to life (the modern one, not the one that smells like your British grandma), gave the Fiat 500 a believable shape again, and then decided the McLaren P1 should look like a spaceship with the rage of a pit bull. He now flies solo with his own studio, juggling startup supercars and drones for traffic-weary billionaires.
In the undergrowth of automotive design—where the spotlight always shines on the same five people and the rest live off Instagram renderings—there are talents who deserve craft beer tributes and a Car Design News cover.
They’re the outsiders: the ones who haven’t (yet) signed off a Ferrari, but are rewriting the rulebook in the meantime.Frank Stephenson, for instance, is the guy who brought the Mini back to life (the modern one, not the one that smells like your British grandma), gave the Fiat 500 a believable shape again, and then decided the McLaren P1 should look like a spaceship with the rage of a pit bull. He now flies solo with his own studio, juggling startup supercars and drones for traffic-weary billionaires.
So while the big shots play golf and sketch concept cars that’ll never see the light of day, these outsiders keep their heads down and draw bold new lines.The moral of the story
Car design is pure art. It’s what turns a box on wheels into an object of desire.
These men (and their teams) decide whether tomorrow you’ll fall in love with a car—or swipe past it with contempt.
Their pencils are worth more than a carbon-ceramic brake system. And their sketches can sell a car even after you’ve read it does 0 to 100 in lawnmower time.Because beauty matters. And so does the garage.Who’s your favorite designer? Who should’ve made the list?
Car design is pure art. It’s what turns a box on wheels into an object of desire.
These men (and their teams) decide whether tomorrow you’ll fall in love with a car—or swipe past it with contempt.
Their pencils are worth more than a carbon-ceramic brake system. And their sketches can sell a car even after you’ve read it does 0 to 100 in lawnmower time.Because beauty matters. And so does the garage.Who’s your favorite designer? Who should’ve made the list?
