Luxury Italian coachbuilder ARES has today announced that it has appointed Andrea Donati as Head of Technical.

In his role at ARES, Donati will be responsible for the co-ordination of the design, production and product development of critical projects. He will report directly to Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Giuseppe Miceli and will manage a 50 strong team at the company's Modena headquarters.

With an exemplary automotive career spanning 30 years Donati brings with him a wealth of experience in the management and co-ordination of complex automotive projects.

Prior to his new position, Donati worked at Carrozzeria Nuova GM, where he was responsible for the sales and restoration of historic and one-off cars. Previous to that he was Project Manager at Touring Superleggera working on notable assignments including the Rolls Royce Sweptail, the Ferrari Berlinetta Lusso and the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante.

Earlier on in his career, Donati spent 12 years at Lamborghini where he project managed the Diablo Roadster, before working with the celebrated coachbuilders Stola and Zagato. His experience is not confined to four wheels; he also worked at Yamaha on both the company's road and race bike models.

On his appointment, Donati commented: "It is a great opportunity to work at ARES where all stages of design, development and manufacturing are under one roof. It gives me a great chance to bring all my skills together and I am very much looking forward to working with the team delivering the ultimate in handcrafted vehicles."

Commenting on the new appointment Chief Operating Officer Giuseppe Miceli said: "We are delighted to welcome Andrea to ARES. He has extensive automotive knowledge and experience and as a result, has a unique and insightful understanding of what is required to deliver bespoke, hand-built vehicles. We have a hectic year ahead and Andrea is ideally placed to support ARES in the delivery of its ambitious business plans."