Bracq's career began in the design studio of
Philippe Charbonneaux, where he served as Charbonneaux' assistant in 1953 and 1954. During this period, the studio produced the designs for the French Presidential limousine built by
Citroën, a one-off
Pegaso coupe, and other automotive designs.
Bracq served his mandatory military service from late 1954 through 1957. Subsequently he worked for
Daimler-Benz, heading the design studio in
Sindelfingen, a post he would hold for ten years. Bracq styled Mercedes the
600,
230SL/250SL/280SL coupé, the 220S coupé, the 250 and 220D, the
W108 and
W114 coupe series, and its stablemate the
W115 – all of the '60s and '70s.
Upon his return to
France in 1967, Bracq worked for
Brissonau and Lotz, where he was responsible for the design of the
TGV high-speed passenger train. During this time, Bracq was also responsible for prototypes of a sports car based on the
BMW 1600Ti and a coupé based on the
Simca 1100.