Ercole Spada, Designer of the Aston Martin DB4 Zagato, Has Died at 88
The man who dared to improve on an Aston Martin left an indelible mark on automotive esign.
Aston Martin
Ercole Spada has died, age 88.
His designs cover everything from Astons and Alfa Romeos to more accessible cars including from Mazda and Nissan.
A prolific designer, he helped shape some of the best-known designs from Zagato during his tenure there.
Improving on the design of an Aston Martin DB4 GT is a nearly impossible task. While the later DB5 would become the icon, thanks to the Bond franchise, the GT version of the DB4 is a stunning machine, and not to be messed with. This did not stop a young Lombardian named Ercole Spada from taking up his pen, and if he felt the weight of the task at hand, he didn’t show it. He styled the DB4 Zagato, even prettier and more delicate, and a car worth millions today.
Spada died last week at 88. The portfolio of his life’s work extended from near-priceless collectibles to special little cars practically anyone can own. He is not as well known a designer as a Giugiaro or Gandini or Pininfarina, but his legacy stands shoulder to shoulder with Italy’s best. In particular, his work for Zagato is some of that company’s best.
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The DB4 Zagato is probably the most famous Spada design, but he also styled the Lancia Fulvia Zagato, of which some 7000 were built. Far more rare is the Alfa Romeo TZ (for Tubolare Zagato), a lightweight high-performer that’s like a pint-sized, four-cylinder Ferrari 250 GTO.
Spada worked for Zagato until 1970, after which he joined BMW as Munich’s chief stylist. Here, he was responsible for perhaps his best-known creations, the E32 7-series and the E34 5-series. The E34 in particular is a near-timeless example of design, especially for a modern car. This generation of M5 is just a stunning machine.
1988 bmw m5
BMW
1988 BMW M5 (E34).
Spada helped design Fords and Volvos and Lancias and even a Nissan, everyday fare as well as sporting specials. One of his more accessible designs is the Mazda MX-3, a car which is possibly due for a little more respect as an accessible collectible. With its tiny optional V-6, this little hatchback offers something of the spirit of the Alfa TZ for about what you’d pay for a used Ford Escort.
Many a student of automotive design has seen and been influenced by Spada’s work. His cars can fetch $10 million at auction and be displayed at Pebble Beach, or cost just barely into four figures and show up at a Radwood-style event. You have to think any car designer would be proud of such a broad and lasting career. He dared to improve on an Aston Martin, and that daring never left him.
Lettermark
Brendan McAleer
Contributing Editor
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
