To build 8,000 life size statues must have taken a large army of workers. The work must be divided equally amongst all labourers. But it is his work in the sport and luxury car market where his designs have found influence and acclaim. Yet some car designers have developed a sterling reputation within the industry and among automotive aficionados for creating several of the best loved vehicles of all time. With a reputation for designing super hot cars, Jason Castriota is also credited with improving the aerodynamics of the cars he designs and adding racing flair to all of his vehicles. Another modern master is car designer Frank Stephenson, who is most well-known for designing the current day version of the Mini, which has proven to be extremely popular. In between, Harley J. Earl also helped to design notable car parts such as the “Tailfin,” which was first introduced in 1948, and the use of camouflage on U.S.

He was the first head of Design at General Motors and not only designed cars, but developed the design techniques that are still used throughout the industry today-including freeform sketching and hand-sculpted clay models of vehicles. Unlike fashion designers who enjoy fame and fortune, most car designers toil in obscurity, collecting a decent but unspectacular paycheck from the automaker where they are merely an employee. A lifelong employee at General Motors in Detroit, Bill Mitchell designed several iconic cars during the 1960s and 1970s, notably the Cadillac Coupe DeVille, Corvette Sting Ray and Chevrolet Camaro. He’s never been the subject of a movie, and there are no schools named after him, but Bill Mitchell has a special place in the hearts of people who love American muscle cars. Pretty damn impressive. Starting at General Motors in 1935, Bill Mitchell literally influenced the automotive industry for more than 40 years, until his retirement in 1977. He died in 1988, but left a lasting legacy on the car world. A National Missile Defense (NMD) system has been the topic of much debate in the United States for more than half a century.

In 1997 he was snatched up by Ford and began using his design acumen to develop retro car designs for the 21st century. And they are the reason he was named Car Designer of the Century by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation in 1999 and inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2002. Known as Italy’s foremost automotive designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro has also worked on many cars for companies such as Fiat, Ford and Hyundai. Here’s a list of 10 of the all-time great car designers. He began his career in the 1950s, but it was in his post as Design Director at BMW in the 1970s that Paul Bracq had his biggest influence, notably with the design of the BMW 7 series and sports car such as the BMW 1600Ti. Paul Bracq also developed many safety features for cars, such as crumple zones and rollover protection. His first design was for the 1927 Cadillac LaSalle, and one of his last designs was for the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette. His design of the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe is considered to be his masterpiece. He has also worked as head of design for Alfa Romeo.

Currently the head of his own company, HF Design, Henrik Fisker recently announced plans to start another automotive company (he previously co-founded the Fisker Automotive company). Walter de Silva is currently the Head of Volkswagen Group Design, but his fiefdom includes luxury and sport brands such as Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti. The Alfa Romeo 2600, the Aston Martin DB4, the BMW M1, the Maserati Ghibli, the Lamborghini Calà, the Bugatti EB218. And, in a career that began in 1972, Walter de Silva has designed iconic cars such as the Alfa Romeo 156, Audi A6, Audi R8 and Lamborghini Egoista, to name only a few. These are all gorgeous cars noted for their exceptional style and luxury. A true renaissance man, Walter de Silva has alternated during his career between luxury car brands and more pedestrian commuter vehicles. Rather than more fences, more borders, more searching people everywhere they go, data-mining feels less intrusive somehow,” he said. Working at Jaguar Cars for more than 20 years, Malcolm Sayer is responsible for some of the most iconic looking Jaguar cars ever. An airplane designer during the Second World War, Malcolm Sayer applied many principles of aircraft design to the cars he created for Jaguar.