FOR OVER HALF a century, Giorgetto Giugiaro has been the driving design force behind some of the planet’s most famous cars—as well as some of the most modest. His portfolio includes speedsters like the 1960 Alfa Romeo 2000/2600 Sprint (his firstborn) and the 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (known for its gull-wing doors and shameless scene-stealing in “Back to the Future”). He has also fashioned more proletarian rides: the boxy 1980 Fiat Panda, for example, and the 1974 Volkswagen Golf I (a favorite of Mr. Giugiaro). By his own estimation, the only major car manufacturer he has not worked with is Honda.

Mr....