Trained as an assistant to Philippe Charbonneaux, Bracq joined Mercedes in 1957 as head of advanced styling. During his decade in Stuttgart he left his mark on the Pagoda, the monumental 600 (W100), the W108 and W109, and the W114/W115 family. After a spell back in France at Brissonneau & Lotz, where he also worked on studies for the future TGV, he became BMW’s design director in 1970, succeeding Wilhelm Hofmeister. In Munich, with a styling studio of around a dozen people, he created the BMW Turbo: a gullwing-door prototype unveiled in 1972 for the Olympic Games, whose design theme would later flow into the M1. The first 3 Series (E21) and the 6 Series (E24) also took shape in the same period. In 1974 he returned to France, heading interior design at Peugeot until 1996 and leaving his imprint on the cabins of models such as the 604, 505, 205 and 405. Alongside cars, Bracq has pursued painting and sculpture, while his son Boris, through Bracq Heritage, restores the Mercedes models his father designed. “The Class of 2027 represents five very different paths to making a lasting impact on the automotive world,” said Sarah Cook, president of the Automotive Hall of Fame. The Berlin announcement kicks off the “Road to Induction,” a year of stories and archival material devoted to the five inductees.
Source: autodesignmagazine.com
