Giuliano Zuccato

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His name is: Giuliano Zuccato

This is the story about a man, a man who found himself with challenges, and overcame them even when it seemed like they might be impossible to surpass. He lived in the Italian town of Bannia, a river town near Venice, until he was 19.

The people of his town were farmers, woodworkers, tradesmen’s, they used the river to power their machines. His family even had a history of being mosaicists in Venice, in cooperation with painter Titian.

During his adolescence, his life was influenced by World War II. When he was only a child, he had to don the Fascist uniform every Saturday morning, and after Italy joined the Axis powers, he would see hundreds of American Bombers and P-51 Mustang Fighters fly over Bannia daily to Germany.

His family in 1952 moved to Windsor, Ontario when he was 19. However, it was not long until he contracted Tuberculosis of the Bone, and was forced into a full-body cast, except for his arms.

He spoke of his 18 months of immobility in this cast as Hell, and recollects himself nearly going insane. There were times he wouldn’t recognize his own face.

His talent for sculpting shone through when he carved an image of Abraham Lincoln into a bar of soap, using only a penny as reference. This caused his doctor to suggest that Giuliano try clay sculpting, and his life began to change.

He began his work as a sculptor making Thanksgiving Day Parade costume helmets in Detroit, but was soon hired by the Ford Motor Company as a car sculptor in 1957.

In the early 60’s, Zuccato began working on a project for Ford, codenamed “Allegro.” Three different studios began working on this project, each individually attempting to design the winning car model.

His team worked a minimum of 13 hours a day to complete their design, in hopes of being chosen by Ford. This design was the car that would become the 1964 Ford Mustang.

Not long after the 1964 Ford Mustang was released, he also worked on designing the body for the 1966 Ford GT40, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans over Ferrari, four times.

In 1984, he was instrumental in the creation of a studio within the Design Center, called Concepts 2000X, to explore new methodologies in car design to meet the need of the digital world.

In this studio he conceived the idea of materializing concept vehicles by the use of computer data, a liquid polymer and ultraviolet light, he named this idea “Liquid to solid”.

Unfortunately the legal department did not act swiftly in getting a patent and a company in California, received a US patent and called Stereolithography, better known today as 3-D Printing.

This technology is used today in rapid prototyping worldwide and recently in the International Space Ship.

He continued to model cars for Ford until retiring in 1988, and from there he started his own company, Concepts International. His company focused on conceiving innovating ideas to assist car design.

Although he only had ideas and no facilities, he was able to create engineering prototyped cars in a quarter of the time faster then his competition.

In the two decades following his retirement from Ford, he successfully managed projects in the US, Europe and the Far East.

He is a man who puts his own capabilities to the test on a daily basis. He lived through war torn Europe only to move across an ocean and become too ill to move most of his body. However, he started a lifelong career and passion with a simple bar of soap. He powered through his obstacles whenever they presented themselves, even if it took years to get through one.

"He still has the fire in the belly.”

Recently has produced a documentary recollecting his time in the design of the original Mustang, and wants to go further with a full feature film of his life story, to include his time working for Ford called the, “Room above the Tavern”.

He was born in a room above the family tavern and wants to visually reconstruct events in his life that made him who he is today, he wants to do this as “cut a ways” as he is sculpting the original Mustang and the GT 40.

In order to do this he will reconstruct the original clay model of the Mustang and GT-40, show what went in to the design of cars in the early sixties, the passion and hard work, the studio environment, being seen working by Mr. Ford, Iacocca and many in the company top management.

Sadly Giuliano passed away on December 14, 2017, click here to read his Obituary.

More about Giuliano

Past Testimonials & Accomplishments

click on the links to view.

Accomplishments at Ford

Accomplishments at Concepts International

Past Speaking Engagements

Donations to Museums

Detroit Auto Scene, July 11, 2016

Mustang Owner's Museum, Concord, NC

Ford Motor Company, September 30, 2015

Mustang Owners Club of South Eastern Michigan, August 15, 2014