Legendary French Designer Paints Vivid Automotive Art

Born in Bordeaux in 1933, Mr. Paul Bracq studied wood sculpting and then began producing drawings for the Chamber of Coachbuilders Association in Paris. He worked briefly for Citroën before his compulsory military service. It was his service that led Paul to his first contact with Mercedes-Benz, as he was stationed in the French occupation zone of Germany, which would eventually become a position as head of Daimler-Benz’s Advanced Design studio in Sindelfingen.

There, Paul would go on to design many renowned Mercedes-Benzes such as the 230SL Pagoda and the W108 series. But his most famous work came later while he was the head of design for BMW in the early 1970s. He was responsible for the 2002 Turbo, the E21 3-series and the “Turbo” concept that eventually became the vaunted M1.

He did a stint at Peugeot, worked on France’s TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse, literally very high speed train) and the 1970s version of the Popemobile. Clearly an accomplished designer and talented artist, we’re eager to share some selected examples of his art with you. His styles vary, but one constant is the rich, striking colors that Paul employs. Nowadays, he can be found working on private design consulting and judging shows such as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

If you’d like to see more of his work, click here.