Ercole Spada (born 26 July 1937 in

Busto Arsizio Busto Arsizio (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the province of Varese, in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the ...

) 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, Coach (vehicle), coaches, and vans. The functional design and development o ...

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

Zagato Zagato is a Coachbuilder, coachbuilding company founded by Ugo Zagato in 1919. The design center of the company is located in Terrazzano, a village near Rho, Lombardy, Italy. History The 1910s: Aeronautics Ugo Zagato was an Italians, Italian ...

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

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

s by

Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC () is a British manufacturer of Luxury car, luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Headed from 1947 by David Brown (entrepreneur ...

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

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 carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

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. Abarth's logo is a shield with a ...

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

and

Lancia Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe, which is the European subsidiary of Stellantis. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganise ...

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 factor ...

. One example of Spada's work was the

Mazda MX-3 The Mazda MX-3 is a 2+2-seat, front-wheel drive coupé of a kammback design, manufactured and marketed by Mazda. It was introduced at the Geneva Auto Show#1991, Geneva Auto Show in March 1991 and marketed until 1998. The MX-3 was also marketed ...

, which aimed to capture 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 Alfa Romeo Giulietta (750/101), Giulietta SZ. In 2011, the name was reduce ...

design, according to its creators. Shortly before leaving Zagato, Spada designed the

Alfa Romeo Junior Z Alfa may refer to: Businesses and organisations Broadcasting * Alfa Radio, a Macedonian radio station * XHFAJ-FM, a Mexico City radio station better known as Alfa 91.3 * Alfa TV (Cypriot TV channel), a premium television service available in Cyp ...

, as well as the

Lancia Fulvia The Lancia Fulvia (Tipo 818) is a car 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: Berlina 4 ...

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 Carrozzeria Ghia SpA (established 1916 in Turin) is an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding firm, established by Giacinto Ghia and Gariglio as "Carrozzeria Ghia & Gariglio". The headquarters are located at Corso Guglielmo Marconi, 4, Tu ...

design house. This led to the creation of the

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, t ...

, 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. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

, Spada joined

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

'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).

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 by Franco Mantegazza and architect Renzo Piano, with engineer Peter Rice (structural ...

, 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, a type of agreement used by U.S. states * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a t ...

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, a tax on products not considered essential, such as speedboats or diamonds. **Luxury tax (sports), a ...

cars, for

– the Tipo and Tempra siblings, the

Dedra and

Delta II Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, and sometimes known as the Thorad Delta 1. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family, derived directly from the Delta 3000, and entered service in ...

, and the

Kappa Kappa (; uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; , ''káppa'') is the tenth 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 of 20. It was d ...

. 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 The is a kei car/city car manufactured by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu between 1995 and 2023, and was reintroduced in 2025. The Move is Daihatsu's response to the similarly designed Suzuki Wagon R that was introduced two years earlier in 19 ...

. 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 named Car Designer of the Century in 1999 and inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2002. He w ...

Zagato

Returning to Zagato in 1992, Spada designed the Ferrari FZ93, based on a regular 512 TR mechanics, as well as other 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 adva ...

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, spid ...

* 1960

O.S.C.A 1600 GTZ O.S.C.A. (Officine Specializzate Costruzione Automobili—Fratelli Maserati S.p.A.) was an Italian manufacturer of Racing car, racing and sports cars established 1947 in San Lazzaro di Savena, Province of Bologna, Bologna, by the Maserati brothe ...

* 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 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 Alfa Romeo Giulietta (750/101), Giulietta SZ. In 2011, the name was reduce ...

* 1965 Lamborghini 3500 GTZ * 1965

Lancia Fulvia Sport Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe, which is the European subsidiary of Stellantis. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganise ...

* 1967 Lancia Flavia Super Sport * 1967

Fiat 125 The Fiat 125 is a large family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat from 1967 to 1972. Derivatives were built under license outside Italy until the 1990s. As launched the car was unusual in blending saloon car passenger accommodat ...

GTZ * 1967 Rover 2000 TCZ * 1969

* 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 * 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 inc ...

* 1988

BMW 5 Series (E34) The BMW E34 is the third generation of the BMW 5 Series, which was produced from 2 November 1987, until 1996. Initially launched as a saloon in January 1988, the E34 also saw a "Touring" station wagon (estate) body style added in September 19 ...

* 1988 Ferrari PPG Indy Pace Car * 1988 Fiat Tipo * 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 went on to replace, the Lancia Prisma, Prisma which, six years after its launch, was havin ...

* 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 ...

* 1994

Lancia Kappa The Lancia Kappa or Lancia k (Type 838) is an executive car manufactured and marketed by Italian automaker Lancia from August 1994 to July 2000 in saloon car, saloon, station wagon, estate, and coupé body styles — sharing its automobile pla ...

* 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 en ...

File:1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato - fvr.jpg,

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

File:1966 Alfa Romeo 2600 SZ - black - fvr2.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 520i.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)
Zagato design studies

Zagato. The Origins
*

External links

Coachbuild.com encyclopedia: Spadaconcept
on the page ''BMW Designers'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Spada, Ercole Italian automobile designers 1937 births Living people BMW designers People from Busto Arsizio