Emanuele Nicosia

Emanuele Nicosia (Catania, January 11, 1953 – Militello in Val di Catania, March 23, 2016) was an influential Italian automotive designer known for his wide-ranging contributions to the automotive and industrial design sectors.

After completing his high school studies, Nicosia enrolled at the University of Catania in 1972 to study engineering, but later moved to London to attend the Royal College of Art, where he earned his master’s degree. In 1977, he began working at Pininfarina’s Research Center in Grugliasco (Turin), where he collaborated on several important projects, including the Ferrari 288 GTO and Ferrari Testarossa. Notably, in 1978, he designed the prototype Jaguar XJS for the Birmingham Motor Show.

Nicosia’s career took him to Ghia in 1980, where he contributed to the design of the Ford Taurus. After a brief return to Pininfarina, where he worked on a variety of projects, including truck designs for Iveco, boats, and buses, he became an independent designer in 1985. He founded Design System with Graziano Pagliasso, focusing on model making and prototyping, which led to significant projects such as the interior design for the Lamborghini Diablo.

In 1989, Nicosia worked on a special car project for the jeweler Gianni Bulgari. He then left Design System in 1990 to establish Beestudio with Anna Visconti in Turin, with the goal of combining their design expertise. Together, they created numerous projects ranging from train interiors for the German market to automotive bodywork for Japanese and German clients like Nissan, Mazda, Honda, and Daihatsu. They also worked on various industrial design products such as air conditioners, lighting fixtures, and self-service payment totems for Bassilichi and Olivetti.

Their collaboration grew into the Design Service Network (DSN), a design network based in Switzerland, which incorporated several partner companies. Key projects from this period included the conceptual ‘Thesi Uno’ car prototype, featuring a modular chassis, and the ‘Sansone’ superscooter, built on Moto Guzzi mechanics and showcased at the 2000 Motorshow. Nicosia also worked on high-performance vehicle interiors, including for the Bugatti EB110 and Lamborghini Diablo.

In 2010, Nicosia expanded his horizons by collaborating with DYPDC in Pune, India, establishing a Beestudio branch to extend their automotive and product design experience into new markets. Nicosia’s work was instrumental in shaping the design landscape, blending technical innovation with artistic creativity.