Car designer Donato Coco has left his employ at Ferrari in Italy for a new job as Director of Design at Lotus Cars in Hethel, England. Coco joined Ferrari in 2005 and was responsible for designing cars like the Ferrari F430 Scuderia Coupé and Spider 16M, California, 599XX and the 458 Italia.
Before that he worked at French manufacture Citroen’s headquarters, churning out models like the C1, C2, C3, Xsara and Picasso.
“Lotus has a reputation for designing evocative sportscars and it is a great honour to take on these responsibilities and challenges,” said Coco. “[Head of Lotus Design] Russell Carr and the rest of the Lotus Design team have already elevated Lotus Design to a globally recognised level and the increase in our third party design work for clients around the world is proof of our capabilities. I am looking forward to building on these foundations to deliver beautiful and relevant Lotus cars designs whilst at the same time acknowledging the peerless heritage and core values of this wonderful British brand.”
The Italian has an MA in Automotive Design from the Royal College of Art, London, England.
At Lotus he will take charge of the final designs of the next Elise and Exige, as well as the rumoured reincarnation of the Esprit. Lotus, under the ownership of Proton of Malaysia, has said it wants its name back at the top of sports car enthusiasts’ minds. The ultimate aim is that Lotus must be mentioned in the same breath as Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini once again. A tall order but one I’m quite sure can be attained.
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