Car Styling and Design – Page 2

Quantum Leap — [Part Three]

Complicate and add lightness.

Why did Ford take such an expensive and complex path to build X350 in aluminium?

During the mid-’90s, the blue oval patented a process of employing aluminium aerospace technology in car manufacture. In the US, the carmaker successfully trialled this methodology on sections of their best-selling F150 pick-up truck, but keen to take matters further, elected to use the Jaguar flagship as a means of testing the technology. In addition, given that customer data had highlighted the need for the XJ to grow in size, ergo weight, a lightweight bodyshell was viewed as a valuable means of mitigating this. There was of course, also the matter of prestige.

Furthermore, there was an additional element of continuity; after all, Jaguar employed aluminium monocoque construction for their endurance racing programme during the 1950s and ’60s^[1].

X350 had initially been envisaged on a suitably modified version of the all-steel corporate DEW98 rear-drive platform^[2]. With a decision taken in 1998 to Continue reading “Quantum Leap — [Part Three]”

Golf Stream

Machinations along the Mittellandkanal.

Never would I have dreamt that one day I would find myself in the city of Wolfsburg. During the mid 80’s, the city was grey, bleak, rainy and foggy, with none of the fancy buildings like the Autostadt Kunstmuseum or the Zaha Hadid-designed Phaeno Science Centre, all built years later under the austere reign of Dr Piëch. Instead, there I stood at the factory gates with its peaks of four chimneys, which I instantly renamed under my breath, ‘Stylingrad’.

This was my first visit to the Volkswagen headquarters, located in the east of Lower Saxony, some 15 km from the iron curtain, as my initial interview had taken place in the US, when chairman of the Volkswagen Group, Carl Hahn was making one of his regular visits to their HQ in Troy, Michigan.

I had been hired on the spot, and given to fathom the offer being made to become the first head of all brands, namely Volkswagen, Audi and SEAT. My mission would be to Continue reading “Golf Stream”

I know It’s Gonna Happen Someday

A swift descent.

2017 Suzuki Swift: Car — 2017 Suzuki Swift. Image: Car

_{Editor’s note: To coincide with the 2024 Suzuki Swift’s official announcement, we present a repeat of this piece from Richard Herriott, looking at the design of the just-superseded model, which originally went out on DTW in January 2017.}

So sang Morrisey who was copying Bowie*, who then returned the compliment by covering the song.

What’s gonna happen?

For one thing that a good car design will be replaced by a less good one sooner or later. It would appear that the fashion for blacked out C-pillars knows no limits. The 2017 Suzuki Swift now sports one. Continue reading “I know It’s Gonna Happen Someday”

The Littlest Caddy

Less and more.

‘Dang Swang! Where’s a new convertible when ya need one?’ A phrase that could well have been uttered frequently in the United States during the mid-1970s. Manufacturers shied away from drop-tops for the usual reasons: dwindling interest, environmental and safety concerns. Another factor could include looks. But, this being a matter for the subjective DTW massive, we ask you to take courage and Continue reading “The Littlest Caddy”

Quantum Leap — [Part Two]

A matter of style.

A Jaguar, any Jaguar lives or dies on the basis of one fundamental attribute: allure. Without this, it not only fails as a Jaguar, it also tends to sputter and pop in the marketplace. For decades, Jaguar traded on the art of seduction, not just in purely visual terms (although this was paramount), but through the warm embrace of its cabin ambience, and the calm, unruffled manner in which it comported itself both in city and open road driving. However, against its German and Japanese rivals, the XJ fell behind on a number of significant grounds. Chief amongst these was passenger and luggage capacity, the X308’s low roofline, confined cabin and compromised boot capacity failing to find favour with many potential buyers, otherwise captivated by the product.

Jaguar’s product strategists (who were predominantly Ford appointees), having crunched their market research data, provided Jaguar’s Whitley design team with some rather sobering food for thought. According to their calculations, for X350 to go toe-to-toe with its US market rivals, it would be necessary for the car to grow in all dimensions^[1], but for Design Director, Geoff Lawson, most alarmingly, in overall height.

Package however, was only one factor at play^[2]. The Dearborn hierarchy — not least, grandee, William Clay Ford — when evaluating design, routinely favoured a design more redolent of ‘old Albion’. Ford’s Éminence Grise loved the classic Jaguar style and was apt to Continue reading “Quantum Leap — [Part Two]”

Chimney Dismantlers, Detroit Area : Part 1

Taurus Rising.

Taurus Book Cover

Review of ‘Reinventing The Wheels — Ford’s Spectacular Comeback’, by Alton F. Doody and Ron Bingaman^[1].

The book is small, dimensionally. In no way is that meant as criticism, for although the page count only reaches 134, its contents proved a thoroughly entertaining read. The car industry runs on figures, but readers of this parish understand that whilst they remain a significant part of the story, figures lack compassion. This book certainly addresses that aspect.

Dealing with each chapter in turn, we Continue reading “Chimney Dismantlers, Detroit Area : Part 1”

Prequeldorado

Presenting a little known spiritual precursor to Cadillac’s famous 1953 glamour model.

The Spanish conquistadores never found it, and neither did Sir Walter Raleigh. The mythical land of unimaginable riches situated somewhere on the South American continent has so far remained an elusive legend, but served as inspiration for the naming of Cadillac’s luxury leader.

Cadillac Motor Company celebrated its fiftieth — or golden — anniversary in 1952 and had a special convertible show car built to celebrate the occasion⁽¹⁾. An in-house naming contest was organised for the as yet nameless car. The contest was won by Mary-Ann Marini, who worked for Cadillac’s merchandising department; her suggestion? Continue reading “Prequeldorado”

Under the Knife — The Swift Descending*

The 2024 Suzuki Swift is a mess.

*With due apologies to devotees of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Sometimes automotive designers find themselves held hostage by their own work or the work of their predecessors. Occasionally, a designer will strike gold and produce a car that is as near perfect as is possible to achieve, given the constraints of production engineering and budgets. Critical acclaim and (usually, but not always) commercial success will follow, but then there comes a time when a replacement needs to be conceived. It is indeed a brave designer that, in such circumstances, will Continue reading “Under the Knife — The Swift Descending*”

Of Mouse and Men

Eureka moments and the birth of digital design.

I never was a geek, never changed over time, but for some unexplainable reason, while at Ford in the early 80’s, a fuzzy digital revolution took form in my head. I was eventually trained to use a computer in 1998, feeling bound by a decision taken by the board of directors at Renault (of which I was a member), to strongly encourage the company to become digitally operational.

I have to admit that at first, I paid lip service, relying on my secretary to Continue reading “Of Mouse and Men”

Under the Knife — Good, Bad and (mainly) Indifferent

A selection of facelifts of varying merit.

Regular readers of these pages will be familiar with our ‘Under the Knife’ series where we highlight stylistic revisions to existing models that we regard as successful or otherwise. In choosing subjects for this series, we have tried to steer away from cars that regularly feature in those lazy ‘Top Ten’ lists that may be found elsewhere on the Internet.

Hence, the comically awful 1999 facelift to the first-generation Hyundai Coupé⁽¹⁾ that is a staple of such lists has not been featured on DTW, as it would be akin to shooting a (very ugly) fish in a small barrel. It was, however, too great a temptation to Continue reading “Under the Knife — Good, Bad and (mainly) Indifferent”

Mediterranean Meditations [6]

Raising the Baur.

Even before the post-1973 extinction event, there had been a state of contraction amid the world’s auto industry. Tastes were changing, with the exuberance of the previous decade giving way to a newfound pragmatism, and a growing environmental concern. One of the primary casualties of this shift in buyer sentiment was the fate of the convertible, and the four-seat convertible in particular, falling out of favour. While sales of two-seater roadsters held up to an extent — particularly in the United States, where such cars sold to singletons and enthusiasts alike — sales of their less confined counterparts were in freefall. Meanwhile in Europe, where such vehicles had enjoyed a limited market, the numbers on offer by 1973 had dwindled to a handful.

Germany however would Continue reading “Mediterranean Meditations [6]”

Under the Knife — On Piste

A highly successful facelift breathes new life into Triumph’s archetypical executive saloon.

Although BMW⁽¹⁾ would doubtless take issue with the claim, it is widely acknowledged that Rover and Triumph effectively invented the ‘executive saloon’ with two cars launched within a week of each other in October 1963, both carrying the ‘2000’ model name. The moniker referred to the engine capacity and both were light, sleek and efficient cars that were a world away from the rather stodgy models that had previously been the choice of the British professional classes.

That the Triumph made it to production at all was an achievement in itself, given the turmoil that surrounded its maker in the early 1960s. The concept began life in 1957 under the code name ‘Zebu’ as a replacement for the ageing and moribund Standard Vanguard saloon. Standard-Triumph suffered from ongoing industrial unrest and a collapse in sales in 1960 caused by a credit squeeze imposed by the UK government. This left the company in a parlous financial state and struggling to Continue reading “Under the Knife — On Piste”

Mediterranean Meditations [5]

You’re so square.

That headline is a misnomer, since there really is nothing square about a 700-series Volvo. But that is not to say that, from a visual perspective, it is anything but resolutely angular. Despite Volvo’s well-earned reputation for longevity and durability, what struck me most forcibly upon encountering this now rarely-seen vehicle was that it must have taken a particularly high order of commitment for Volvo to Continue reading “Mediterranean Meditations [5]”

FIAT Cinquecento: The Forgotten 500 (Part 2)

Continuing our look at FIAT’s city car of the 1990s, a ‘500’ which might have just been too rational for its own good.

The Cinquecento was launched with the option of two petrol engines (although they were not always both available in all markets), and quickly followed by a further, more interesting, alternative. The petrol engines comprised of the venerable two-cylinder 704 cc — seen previously in FIAT’s smallest cars dating back to the nuova 500, the 126 and the Panda — and the four-cylinder 903cc engine, also used in the 127, A112, Panda and early versions of the Uno and Lancia Y10.

By this point, the former had something of ‘Trigger’s broom’ about it in that nothing physical was shared with the version seen in the 500 of the 1950s, and both engines benefitted from the application of mapped electronic ignition and timing systems as well as hydraulic tappets. Continue reading “FIAT Cinquecento: The Forgotten 500 (Part 2)”

Homage to the International Brigade

Broadening the palette.

La Brigadas Internationales, or the international brigade, were military units composed of 50 different nationalities, organised in 1936 by the Communist International, to come to the aid of the Popular Front during the Spanish civil war. The civil war cost the lives of over 400,000 people, and it turned out to be where Hitler and Mussolini experimented with their war games, which they then applied almost immediately to what was to become the second world war.

It was also a moment in time which saw the birth of an intellectual mobilisation that led to the writing of masterpieces by authors like George Orwell’s ‘Homage to Catalonia’ or John Dos Pasos’s ‘Adventures of a young man’; of Ernest Hemingway’s masterpiece ‘For whom the Bell Tolls’ and again, to complete the picture, André Malraux’s ‘Man’s Hope’. But how could one not Continue reading “Homage to the International Brigade”

Mediterranean Meditations [4]

Starstruck on the Costa del Sol.

‘Paging Mr. Julian Kaye, white courtesy telephone please’. Does any car positively scream eighties Hollywood glamour as stridently, yet with such insouciance as the R107 SL? Whether it’s Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo, or Eddie Murphy’s Beverley Hills Cop movie vehicle, TV’s oil-drenched soap, Dallas, or crime-fighting spouses in Hart to Hart, the SL played a starring role, shorthand for a kind of conspicuous wealth which wasn’t quite flaunting it.

This example, a late-era 560 SL, was in full US market pomp. While few European cars (or American ones for that matter) managed to visually transcend the post-1975 bumper-impact mandates, the R107 gained a certain distinction from the transformation; indeed, without them, I rather doubt I would Continue reading “Mediterranean Meditations [4]”

FIAT Cinquecento: The Forgotten 500 (Part 1)

The Cinquecento was produced in significant numbers between 1991 and 1998, but is a very rare find on our roads today, whereas our streets are overwhelmed by the presence of its descendant, the ‘new’ 500.

fiat-cinquecento-01-83606d579b270560bc2fdf347f8ce3902da80a94 — Cinquecento SX (Image: Coches y Concesionarios)

Development of Tipo 170 began in the early-to-mid ‘80s. This was a period of intensive R&D in small, highly economical cars, designed to counter the threat of escalating fuel costs and growing fears about environmental sustainability. I previously wrote a short series of articles about some of the better-known concept cars of this ilk (‘Eighties Eco-Concept Marvels’). With one or two possible exceptions, none of the more exotic designs became production models. Some of this was down to the senior management of the large European manufacturers doubting the market’s appetite for revolutionary design progress.

Such was the case, with Tipo 170. The Cinquecento (as it would become) replaced the FIAT 126bis in production at the former FSM facility bought by FIAT in Tychy, which lies about 70km from Krakow in Poland. As an interesting aside, FSM had a contingency, should the negotiations with FIAT have failed, which was to Continue reading “FIAT Cinquecento: The Forgotten 500 (Part 1)”

La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Seven

A sad end to a name.

_{Additional words — Patrick le Quément.}

The accepted industry narrative dictates that bravery never sells. Such acts are more usually celebrated in death, with the legend of Icarus often being cited by way of illustration. It is not always thus however. Instead of cleaving to the accepted playbook, the 1992 Twingo, despite its audacity, proved a winning formula, whose combination of a compelling package, and a highly original style — the result of Patrick le Quément’s dogged determination to Continue reading “La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Seven”

Mediterranean Meditations: [3]

Balearic beats — on the mainland.

All images taken by the author in Marbella, May 2023.

The genre of dance music, colloquially known as Balearic, originated on the island of Ibiza during the mid-1980s; coincidentally around the time that SEAT first introduced a product line of the same name. Since then, the SEAT Ibiza has, over five separate generations, gone on to become what amounts to Spain’s national car; certainly amongst the most populous upon the Iberian streets and roadways.

It was also during this period that SEAT’s longstanding association with FIAT Auto come to an end, with Volkswagen taking a controlling stake in the company in late 1986. As with VW’s takeover of Škoda, the German car giant initially utilised pre-existing hardware, before co-developing new models on its own platforms.

VW’s stewardship of its sprawling brand portfolio would become the envy of the industry; under the stern, but gimlet-eyed leadership of Ferdinand Piech, each marque was allowed to Continue reading “Mediterranean Meditations: [3]”

La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Five

Numbers don’t lie. But they can sometimes obscure.

_{Additional words: Eóin Doyle. All Images © Jean-Marie Souquet via Patrick le Quément.}

A nod might well be as good as a wink to a pony on raceday, but a smile, as may be witnessed daily at the Louvre, can be enigmatic. Despite the Renault President’s encouraging response to the Twingo prototype, Patrick le Quément knew better than anyone that the quest for official approval had only just begun.

The team behind the Twingo

Although President Lévy elected to Continue reading “La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Five”

Riddle Me This

Local Customs

Autorama 1953 kustomrama — The 1953 Autorama. Image : kustomrama.com

If Germany and France are the car’s parents, America remains its teenage offspring, full of eternal spirit in every sense of that term. Whilst customising is not expressly an American endeavour, the States own the notion of altering with, in many cases, improving upon the manufactures output to the utmost of degrees. It sure helps to Continue reading “Riddle Me This”

La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Four

From the W06 to Twingo.

_{Additional words: Eóin Doyle. All Images © Jean-Marie Souquet via Patrick le Quément.}

The history behind the Twingo is a lengthy one, especially if one chooses to take the scenic route, moving from the series of projects named VBG (Vrai Bas de Gamme) which included the utilitarian and charmless R2, alongside some quirky extrapolations.

In addition to VBG, an unofficial ‘skunkworks’ project (dubbed Neutral) for a spartan successor to the evergreen R4 took place involving a small number of Renault engineers, but primarily driven by the powerful CGT union, who opposed management’s plans to Continue reading “La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Four”

Under the Knife — Putting the Boot In

A major redesign required to correct a fundamental error.

Designing any⁽¹⁾ motor vehicle is (or should be) a highly disciplined process that sets out to optimise the end result so that it meets the needs and wants of the potential customer to the greatest degree possible. Prototypes are benchmarked against both competitors’ offerings and the manufacturer’s existing model to demonstrate that they deliver meaningful advantages and advances. These can be objectively measured, such as improvements in accommodation, performance and fuel economy, or they may concern the more subjective elements such as styling or handling and roadholding. When the new model is launched, the manufacturer will provide dealers with extensive comparative information with which to promote the new model (and highlight the shortcomings of competitors’ offerings).

Of course, there will always be compromises forced upon individual manufacturers by limitations in budget, technology, or design and engineering expertise. Hence, the new model will not necessarily become the best in its market segment and, occasionally, it will not even Continue reading “Under the Knife — Putting the Boot In”

La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Three

François and the VBG.

_{Additional words: Eóin Doyle. All Images © Jean-Marie Souquet via Patrick le Quément.}

It is now time to introduce an absolute genius of a man. François Wasservogel was head of Product Planning and directly in charge, for almost a decade, of the VBG programme. He is well known within Renault for not only being one of the leading figures in the creation of the R5, but also of having fathered an incalculable amount of ingenious concepts.

François was born in Auschwitz on December 2, 1943 to a Polish Jewish mother, a lawyer, whose appearance allowed her to pass for a few years as a pure Aryan. This was not the case of his father, Yossef Tzimmer however, who was shot on sight by the Gestapo, while François’ two-month pregnant mother was arrested, for having shared her life with a Jew. She was first imprisoned in Lvov, then moved to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Continue reading “La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Three”

Missing the Marque: Ford Probe

An intimate examination of failure.

Sometimes the reasons for success or failure in the automotive business can be simply unfathomable. Perfectly decent cars can be met with a wall of indifference, while plainly inadequate ones fly out of the showrooms. Ford is a company that, historically, was well versed in using its marketing power and ubiquity to Continue reading “Missing the Marque: Ford Probe”

Apophasis on St Mary’s Road

Those familiar with theology may find this term relevant for the Jaguar shown in the photo, but just the one.

“Apophatic theology explores the position that human categories are not capable of describing the mystery of God. The word comes from the Greek word apophasis (ἀπόφασις) meaning “denial” or “negation.” (source).

This is an analogy in use — my intention is not to try to ascribe anything supernatural to the gold metallic Jaguar in the background of the photo. What I am trying to do is to Continue reading “Apophasis on St Mary’s Road”

La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Two

Before Twingo, we meander though Renault’s history.

_{Additional words: Eóin Doyle.}

Known as ‘Monsieur one thousand patents’, Louis Renault first registered his company in 1899. His creativity spread well beyond hydraulic shock absorbers, drum brakes or the turbocharger, however — he was also very much fascinated by the potential exploration of both space and interior functionality in automobiles.

Despite a somewhat dour reputation, Louis Renault was not (at first) the arch-conservative he was latterly characterised as being. Renault’s founder pioneered a large number of engineering innovations, including the self contained system of shaft-drive and live rear axle which would come to replace chain drive. Louis Renault was also amongst the first engineers to Continue reading “La Voiture du Bonheur — Part Two”

A Fantastic Failure — The Subaru SVX

A look back at an early ’90s Subaru which dared to conceptualise the future of the GT, but ultimately ended a commercial failure.

Subaru SVX concept (source: Old Concept Cars)

I clearly have a fascination with the hard-sells of the car world. I am not sure if I would describe them as catnip or an Achilles heel, but there’s a problem here; one that has cost me money and heartache over time … but that’s another story (told a couple of years ago now).

In its production lifetime between 1991 and 1996, the Subaru SVX is reckoned to have sold 24,379 units — that’s slightly more than the 23,400 examples of Citroën C6, with which I am very familiar. It is reported — anecdotally around a few related internet sites I have reviewed — that Subaru lost around $3,000 on every SVX sold, which seems feasible or even an underestimate, given what must have been the R&D costs.

In terms of the UK, ‘How Many Left’ reports that there was a peak of 232 cars registered in the UK in 1999; today there are 32 licensed and 108 on SORN. No wonder I have never seen one in the metal, more is the pity.

The SVX, or Alcyone SVX to give the car its full official name (Alcyone is the brightest star in the Pleiades constellation, featured on Subaru’s oval badge), was first seen as a concept car at the 1989 Tokyo Auto Show. Looking at it, no one would Continue reading “A Fantastic Failure — The Subaru SVX”

Remember: Isao Sono and Toshio Yamashita

… designed the Nissan 300ZX. It appeared in 1989 and left the showrooms 11 years later.

The 300ZX shares the same launch years as the Mercedes 300SL we peered at closely recently. The Nissan appears to use much of the same stringent form-giving as the Mercedes. However should we feel the slightest bit tempted to Continue reading “Remember: Isao Sono and Toshio Yamashita”

Hic Suebiae Finis

Today we take a very close look at the zenith of industrial design: the industrial design corner.

We have two examples today which prompted this little study of how to shape surface transitions. One (above) is the 1971-1981 Mercedes 450 SLC. The other is 1989-1998 SL. Both cars had impressively long production runs, in part because they could Continue reading “Hic Suebiae Finis”

Book Of The Dead — Pegaso

“I cannot afford to waste my time making money.” (Louis Agassiz)

Enzo Ferrari never got along with him and questioned his capacities as chief engineer when both were employed at Alfa Romeo in the 1930s. The convoluted way the man spoke — multilingual as he was — his choice of clothes and even his hairstyle puzzled and irritated Enzo. One day Ferrari could no longer contain himself: “He wore strange shoes with extraordinary thick rubber soles; when I asked him about it he replied it was an elementary precautionary safety measure: “The brain of a great technician must be suspended well in order to be isolated and protected from damaging shocks” was Ricart’s snooty reply, which Ferrari thought quite odd.

Wifredo Pelayo Francisco de Borja Ricart Medina (1897-1974), more commonly known as simply Wifredo Ricart, was born into a family with a maritime tradition but was himself more interested in aviation and cars. Continue reading “Book Of The Dead — Pegaso”

Losing its Way

The Land-Rover Discovery has lost its raison d’être.

The 1989 Land-Rover Discovery was a simply brilliant design. Although the market segment into which it was pitched was already occupied by a number of Japanese SUVs such as the Mitsubishi Shogun and Isuzu Trooper, both launched in 1981, the Discovery brought with it a level of cool sophistication⁽¹⁾, thanks to its Terence Conran designed interior⁽²⁾, coupled with Land-Rover’s unimpeachable off-road credentials. It also bridged the yawning gap between the resolutely utilitarian traditional Land-Rover and increasingly upmarket Range Rover.

What subsequently became known as the Series I Discovery remained on the market for nine years. Such was its appeal that even a patchy reputation for build quality and reliability failed to Continue reading “Losing its Way”

Anti-Establishment — Part Six

Viking burial: The Rover P8

Lost causes exert an undying fascination, living on in our collective imaginations, unsullied by reality’s inconvenient intrusion. In 1964, with the P6 successfully launched, it became apparent to Rover’s management team that the flagship P5 saloon (which dated back to the mid-1950s) required replacement, but having spent a colossal sum on P6 development, the company lacked the resources to do so^[1]. Head of New Vehicle Projects, Spen King, therefore proposed to technical director, Peter Wilks a modular range of cars to be derived from a common platform — the rather clever plan being to Continue reading “Anti-Establishment — Part Six”

Brussels Post Card 10

Book-ending our time in Brussels are these two Renault Lagunas.

Renault Laguna estate, Mk2, series 1 (2001-2008), Brussels. Day 1.

It seemed odd to photograph the estate. Why this car? My subconscious reminded me that they are now seldom seen (in Denmark) and I saw only a few in Brussels. So, despite the looming excitement of the spectactular Grand Place (nearby) I rummaged around in my jacket and started to Continue reading “Brussels Post Card 10”

Looking Elsewhere

Connecting the dots.

Like all designers, I doodle. For many years I couldn’t sit in a long meeting without sketching something, anything. It didn’t stop me from listening carefully to all that was being said however, or partaking in the inevitable exchanges which took place. For you see, I was not actually thinking about what I was drawing, I just drew. All designers do that. As indeed did Bob Lutz, the only senior executive I’ve encountered who thought like a designer.

Designers spend hour after hour doodling in cafés, restaurants, on trains, in planes, in bed and on the beach. There is no specific purpose, no particular destination set for these drawings which nevertheless do reach a destination, a surprise harbour somewhere. Pablo Picasso once explained the phenomenon by saying, “What I find is what helps me to understand what I’m searching for”. Now, don’t go thinking that designers are light-brained nitwits. I can vouch that when working on a specific programme they will concentrate on the subject, but once in the canteen they will Continue reading “Looking Elsewhere”

Jobs for the Boys

The Fisher Body Craftsman’s Guild.

coach motorcitiesorg copy — Image : motorcities.org

General Motors have a long, chequered history and their financial and business methods can leave us mere outsiders dumbfounded. Today’s story deals with their quest to find not only new customers but also designers through philanthropy, and begins with steel bodies from Fisher.

All seven Fisher Brothers took apprenticeships at their father’s carriage company before, with financial assistance from an uncle, the two eldest, Fred and Charles, set up The Fisher Body Company on 22nd July 1908. They began to Continue reading “Jobs for the Boys”

IAA Mobility 2023: The Outdoor Perspective

Day two at IAA Mobility and our (still underfed) correspondent takes the air in Munich.

The IAA, in its current, Mobility-added incarnation at least, divides itself between the more traditional indoor arena of Messe Munich and the more relaxed, open-air and open-for-all ambience of the outdoor presentations next to and even within the city centre’s sights.

Regrettably, there is no press day at the in-town stands, so after having enjoyed several cups of world-class coffee for breakfast at Sweet Spot, near Viktualienmarkt, I embarked upon an exploration of central Munich’s IAA sites on Tuesday morning.

My professional endeavours began with a grave disappointment, as the new Mini production models on display turned out to be locked — which was an issue, since I was very eager to Continue reading “IAA Mobility 2023: The Outdoor Perspective”

Brussels Postcard 10

Close-up with an Ami.

Not far from the Cinquantenaire monument in Brussels is the Merode Metro stop which empties onto the Rue des Tongres. This is where I spotted this one single example of the 2020 Citroën Ami.

Too much styling on too small a car. Consider this in contrast to the Honda E. Or don’t because the Ami does not come off the winner in that battle. The way I read Citroën design since about the middle of the Blakeslee period is that the company has no innate ability to Continue reading “Brussels Postcard 10”

It’s a MINI Transition

BMW keeps the faith with MINI, but hedges its bets about the long-term future of the marque.

I still get a little buzz of excitement about the launch of a new Mini. This despite the previous generation being, stylistically at least, a dud in my book. My parents owned an Austin Mini 850 when I was young, in Old English White. It was a true Issigonis original, with sliding windows, door opening cables, and a round central instrument ‘cluster’ dominated by the speedometer. This was a practical purchase as we needed a cheap, practical little car for daily use about town, with the ability for my Dad to Continue reading “It’s a MINI Transition”

In Praise of Mongrels

The genetics of conformity.

What qualification do I have to defend mongrels? Well, I’m half English and 100% French. My curious mathematics must be an inheritance of my having been born in Marseille, which is the scene of that 1931 movie, Marius, based on the novel written by the typically Provencal author and playwright, Marcel Pagnol.

There is a memorable scene in the film which takes place between a bar owner on the harbour-front of Marseille, and his unpractised barman, where he explains how to mix a Picon-Citron-Curaçao cocktail. “You first put a third of curaçao. Now pay attention, it has to be a very small third. Then you add a third of a lemon, well just a little more. Good! Then a GOOD third of Picon, and at the end you Continue reading “In Praise of Mongrels”