Marc Deschamps, former head of design at the great Italian car styling house Bertone, has sadly passed away. He had been dealing with the consequences of a severe injury for a number of years. According to his great friend and former colleague Eduardo Robledo Botero, Deschamps’ condition deteriorated quite suddenly on the evening of Sunday October 4, 2026. Marc died in hospital the next day.
Best known for his concept cars, Deschamps joined Bertone in January 1972. Working under Marcello Gandini he did all the design work for the very well received 1972 Citroën Camargue.
A move to Chapron in 1973 was followed by a stint with Renault in ’76 under Robert Opron, where Deschamps is most recognised for designing the striking exterior of the mid-engined Turbo 5.
He returned to Bertone in 1979 – by which time Gandini had left – and was the creative force behind a great number of amazing concept cars including the 1980 Lamborghini Athon, the 1984 Chevrolet Ramarro, a 1989 Bugatti EB110 proposal (repurposed as the 1991 Lotus Emotion) and the 1990 Nivola [featured in Magneto 27].
Deschamps’ post-Bertone portfolio includes cars such as the 1998 Lamborghini Pregunta for Carrosserie Heuliez and the 2001 Edonis for B Engineering.
Marc Deschamps’ death is a sad loss to the automotive design world. His funeral is to be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at the church in Caprie, located west of Turin in the Val di Susa Valley, where the Bertone design studio once stood, and he will be laid to rest in the Caprie cemetery.
“I imagine that he would like that,” said Botero of Marc Deschamps’ death and final resting place. “Another great figure has left us, but his magnificent works will ensure he is fondly remembered.”
