Car Culture Archives

Mazda Restores 1981 Bertone MX-81 Concept, Recounts Story in Film

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 09:00:07 +0000

Mazda’s head of design, Ikuo Maeda, still remembers the time he met Nuccio Bertone and Giorgetto Giugiaro in the 1960s. They’d come to see the development of the ‘Luce’ model, which Mazda had commissioned Bertone to build. This encounter – and an Italian paperknife his father kept on his desk – would form a lifelong fascination with Italian design for Maeda. Clockwise from left – Giorgetto Giugiaro (left), together with Nuccio and Lily Bertone (center and right) meet with Mazda […]

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Remembering Syd Mead, In His Own Words

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 09:00:00 +0000

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the death of visionary artist, futurist, illustrator and conceptual designer Syd Mead. Known for his incredible depictions of the future, Mead’s illustration work attracted a diverse range of companies, from automakers and steel merchants to architecture firms and technology giants. It also garnered the attention of Hollywood directors, who tapped him to work on science fiction films like Blade Runner, Tron and Aliens. It’s hard to overestimate the impact Mead’s work had on the […]

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Some Fun in the Sun at London’s 2020 Concours of Elegance

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 08:01:00 +0000

“So what’s your favorite car?” If I had a dollar for every time I was asked this question… To be fair, its par for the course in this job, but still I usually follow the question with a deep breath and ask how long they have to stand around and listen whilst I unload my thoughts and appreciations. It’s a tougher question than usual being here at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court just outside London on a beautiful […]

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McLaren Designer Mark Roberts Joins Charge Automotive as Chief Creative Officer

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 09:04:00 +0000

Mark Roberts, former head of Design Operations at McLaren Cars, has joined Charge Automotive as Chief Creative Officer. In his new role, he will be tasked with delivering the specialist electric cars being built by Charge while ensuring quality levels befitting a £300k vehicle. “[There’s] a lot of stuff out there enthusiasts don’t want. God forbid a Prius,” Roberts says. “There’s a market for people that want an electric vehicle with character and performance.” Roberts knows a thing or two […]

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Cars: Accelerating the Modern World – or Stuck in the Past?

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 09:02:00 +0000

I recently attended the members’ preview and curator talk of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s latest exhibition, Cars: Accelerating the Modern World. Excited to see the show, I was left feeling the opportunity for an urgently needed debate on the future of mobility had been missed. Instead, an attempt at a retrospective reveals far more about the institution than the subject and suggests an industry in an existential crisis. Lead curator Brendan Cormier revealed that, from the initial planning stages, […]

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I Want to Like the Tesla Cybertruck, But I Can’t

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 09:00:00 +0000

The Tesla Cybertruck broke the Internet when it was unveiled in California last week. Regardless of whether they’re interested in buying a new truck or even remotely interested in cars at all, everybody’s got an opinion. Ranging from love to utter disdain for its design, this is the most polarizing vehicle to be revealed in the last 20 years. The Nissan Juke’s got nothing on the Tesla Cybertruck. When I first saw it, I – like many – was shocked. […]

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Three Lessons in Iconic Car Design

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 09:00:00 +0000

The car gods have smiled upon us lately. In July, General Motors unveiled the 8th generation Corvette in California. In September, Jaguar Land Rover took the wraps off the long-awaited Defender. Both cars are quite at opposite ends of the vehicular spectrum. Yet they are identical in one unique way: they are icons. It is an extraordinary dichotomous situation for the people in charge of creating those vehicles. It’s a great honor but it is quite a pressure cooker. Public expectations are sky high and some […]

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Automotive Artists: Exterior Designer Irina Zavatski

Fri, 15 Nov 2019 09:00:00 +0000

Irina Zavatski is an automotive designer from a small republic called Tajikistan in the former Soviet Union. She attended both the College of Creative Studies in Detroit and Cleveland Institute of Art, but perhaps what makes her more unique is her perspective — that of a woman that’s managed to achieve success in what has always historically been a male-dominated industry. Zavatski is an exterior design manager working for FCA in Detroit, Michigan. In 2017, she was deemed a ‘rising […]

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BMW Recreates Marcello Gandini’s 2002 tii Garmisch

Mon, 27 May 2019 08:50:25 +0000

At this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, BMW Group revealed a recreation of the BMW Garmisch, a concept car designed by Marcello Gandini while at Bertone that vanished after its debut at the 1970 Geneva motor show.

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Bugatti Design Director Achim Anscheidt’s Motorcycle Antics

Thu, 31 May 2018 07:00:49 +0000

Achim Anscheidt has been design director at Bugatti since 2004. He values simplicity and minimalism — traits obvious in his reductionist Porsche 911. But his background is even more fascinating. Before studying at both Pforzheim University and ArtCenter College of Design, Anscheidt was the German equivalent of Evel Knievel. The video above speaks for itself, even if you don’t understand German. Anscheidt is the son of motorcycle champion Hans-Georg Anscheidt, a German Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion who […]

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From Passion Project to 3D Model: Creating the Porsche 908-04

Thu, 17 May 2018 11:04:29 +0000

Two years ago I received a message from a group of designers that were creating a modern interpretation of the legendary Porsche 908 LH racecar. They called it the Porsche 908-04. They sent me a few images and a link to their website, and the car looked incredible. It peaked my interest and I published an article about it… As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one that found the concept amazing. The five-strong team of creators – including […]

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Freeman’s New Ride: How the RUF SCR 2018 Was Born

Thu, 15 Mar 2018 13:03:54 +0000

RUF is known for producing stunningly fast versions of the Porsche 911 as well as lending its expertise towards developing powertrains for cars such as W Motors’ Lykan Hypersport and Fenyr Supersport models. The German company also delicately restores early Porsche models to showroom standard. It’s one hell of a business model. On the stand at the Geneva motor show, a perennial favorite for designers and attendees alike, is the Irish green-colored SCR, a naturally-aspirated version of the CTR Yellowbird […]

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