Some inspirational examples of automotive design, chosen by Chris Clements and Dr Samantha Porter
Project: Austin Mini
Client: Austin
Designer: Alec Issigonis
Year: 1955-58
At a time when almost all cars had a separate chassis and a longways-mounted front engine with rear wheel drive, Issigonis embarked on a package-driven design study. His targets for the dimensions of the passenger compartment and the overall size of the vehicle were so aggressive that in order to achieve them he rewrote the rules for packaging the mechanicals. The monocoque body and transverse engine front wheel drive layout resulted in a revolutionary new appearance.
Project: New Mini
Client: BMW
Designer: BMW Design
Year: 1995-98
In recent years, the preoccupation with package efficiency, cost and function in small cars has led to the establishment of a set of common vehicle sizes. In order to differentiate itself, BMW chose to enter the market with a vehicle that was unique in appearance. The car was given immense character by updating the original Mini design. To achieve this, compromises were made in terms of package efficiency and practicality, but the fact that customers do not view these compromises as shortcomings proves that a car’s aesthetics are just as important to the customer as performance.
Project: 24/7
Client: Ford Motor Company
Designer: Ford Advanced Design
Year: 1999
Ford was keen to research what type of car would appeal to a younger buyer. Working on the premise that the iMac computer was the ‘hot rod of the nineties’ the exercise focused on interior features and comprised three vehicles – an estate car for ‘me and my friends’, a pick-up for ‘me and my sport’ and a sedan for ‘tailgate parties’. The interiors featured computer technologies tailored to each of the themes. The instrument panels were configured like a computer desktop and capable of the same degree of customisation. The idea was that the vehicle should engage the young user in the same way as their home computer.
Project: Ford O21C
Client: Ford Motor Company
Designer: Marc Newson
Year: 1999
Ford was experimenting with the application of product design aesthetics in the automotive field. Ford designers in its advanced department were conducting such product oriented projects 24/7. In this context there was a desire to see how a respected product designer would meet similar challenges. Marc Newson had made a number of presentations to Ford designers which had sparked interest, so he was the prime candidate to work on the project. Newson designed O21C in the relative isolation of Ford’s Ghia studio in Turin. The outcome was a startling embodiment of Newson’s unique style of product design.
Project: Range Rover
Client: Austin Rover
Designer: David Bache
Year: 1967-70
BL, the parent company of Land Rover, identified an opportunity to create a new type of vehicle that could perform the tasks of a Land Rover while offering a high degree of pace and luxury: ‘The hundred miles per hour workhorse’. David Bache met the challenge of communicating both a tough off-road image and fast luxurious transportation with the clever use of materials and appropriate product design cues. The vehicle had off-road ride height mixed with sophisticated body surfacing. It featured a richly appointed interior with a command driving position. Today almost every manufacturer competes in the SUV segment defined by the Range Rover.
Project: Corvette Stingray
Client: General Motors
Designer: Larry Shinoda
Year: 1960-63
General Motors introduced the original Corvette in 1953, but Ford soon responded with the Thunderbird. Concerned at losing sales to Ford, GM experimented with the Corvette Shark show car, exhibiting it at various events to gauge public reaction. The blue shark was the inspiration for a sinister, aggressive design and even influenced the two-tone paint scheme. The response was positive and Larry Shinoda evolved the design for mass production. While the dual plexi-glass cockpit covers were discarded, the design remained spectacular, and led to a series of dramatic Corvette sports cars.
Project: Mazda MX5
Client: Mazda
Designer: Mazda Advanced Design
Year: 1986-89
British manufacturers had vacated the market for small two-seat convertibles as a result of lack of investment and ever stricter US legislation. Mazda was first to react to this global opportunity. Its Advanced Design studio defined a new incarnation of the traditional compact front-engine, rear-drive, open-top layout. They used the original Lotus Elan as the benchmark for attributes such as handling and appearance. They concentrated on achieving a coherence of design and function that would assure longevity. The result became the best-selling vehicle of its type in history.
Project: Lamborghini Miura
Client: Lamborghini
Designer: Marcello Gandini/Bertone
Year: 1965-67
Ferruccio Lamborghini entered automobile manufacture with the goal of eclipsing Ferrari. In 1965 he hired the services of Bertone expressly for this purpose and between them they created the first mid-engined road-going super car. To achieve the stunning proportion of the vehicle, a transverse twelve cylinder mid-engine layout was employed, with the gearbox mounted below the engine, sharing the oil (a configuration inspired by the Mini). This iconic basic proportion was clothed in a radical but elegant body design that assured classic status for the car.
Project: Porsche 911
Client: Porsche
Designer: Ferdinand Porsche/Porsche Design
Year: 1956-64
The design of the 911 can be traced back to 1956 when it was intended to be a four-seater. During its development, Ferdinand Porsche determined that he did not want his small company to compete with the major manufacturers and evolved his design into the two-seat configuration that remains today. Evolution has been the key to the success of the car over its 40-year history. The proportion and design of this rear-engine vehicle are so distinctive and fundamentally pleasing that no major changes have been required. Regular evolutionary updates have kept its appearance modern throughout the years.