After a 40 year stint at Mercedes-Benz, 30 years as its official design chief, automotive engineer and designer Peter Pfeiffer is set to retire. Pfeiffer, who turns 65 this year, first joined the carmaker back in 1968 and was promoted to head of design just ten years later. Mercedes is yet to name an official successor but a decision is expected to be announced soon.

Most likely to replace Pfeiffer is Gorden Wagener, the current president of Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design of North America. Wagener has been in charge of the U.S. team since early 2006, reports Automotive News.

Pfeiffer has had an influential role on nearly every Mercedes-Benz model to be launched in the 30 years that he’s been design chief. Some of the standouts include the SLR supercar, CLS four-door coupe and the ungainly R-Class, for which he received a red dot design award.

Pfeiffer was born in 1943 in Dallwitz near Karlsbad, Germany. After graduating from the Sel Porcelain and Industrial Design State Technical College back in 1963, Pfeiffer joined Ford-Werke AG as a designer before teaming up with Mercedes five years later.