Auto Design

By Giancarlo Perini ©

There is more than just a beautiful body to make the Jaguar EX-75 concept car the “Star of the Show”. It comes with four 143 kW electric motors (one for each wheel) pumping out a total of 572 kW, which take the energy from a energy-intense pack of lithium-ion batteries to be recharged from a standard 220v outlet. Read the rest of this entry »

by Giancarlo Perini (c)

You can look back at the Paris Motor Show, the latest top-ranking of the season from many different perspectives: business as usual or new perspective, sexy style or strict functionality, economic status or talks between car-makers to discuss new alliance and even a show within the show. Indeed this is what tiny British carmaker Lotus has done in Paris. By presenting as many as 5 new concept-cars and mock-ups (Elise, Elan and Esprit, Elite and Eterne) the company has attracted a lot of attention from the media and caused a series of serious of questions now waiting for an answer.

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The new Ferrari calendars for 2011 are out. Published for the 27th year by photographer and Ferrari enthusiast Günther Raupp they are approved by Ferrari as “Official Licensed Product”. There are two calendars you may choose from, unless you want to have both. One is dedicated to the F1 car that have raced in the current season, the other one is dedicated to Gran Turismo by Ferrari of all time.

For quotations and to order your copy(ies) go to www.calendari-ufficiali-ferrari.it

Here is a preview for you to enjoy.

Can it just be a meaningless coincidence than 50% of the winners of the Car of the Century awards presented to top personalities of the Twentieth Century have been friends for almost 40 years and although both over 70, have a lot to share under the roof of Italdesign-Giugiaro?

Late in 1999, a jury of 132 professional automotive journalists from 33 different countries, under the presidency of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, awarded the title of Car of the Century’s to Ford’s T Model and the same awards to four top personalities in the car industry through the past century.

Their choice made up for a very impressive panel: Giorgetto Giugiaro was elected Car Designer of the Century, Ferdinand Porsche, Car Engineer of the Century, Henry Ford I Entrepreneur of the Century and Ferdinand Piëch Car Executive of the Century. Read the rest of this entry »

Those of you who read Car Styling magazine might have been puzzled by my report on the Geneva motor show published in the latest (and last?) issue of the magazine.
For some mysterious accident that are more common in the printed press than you can image my text was cut and mixed up. For a more accurate reading and for the records I am publishing here the original text. Just as a sign of respect for my readers.

Official statistics show that the latest and 80th Geneva Motor Show set a new record for “premieres”, with as many as eighty “new cars”, or so, unveiled for the first time there. Now, considering the space in the magazine is not growing with the number of new cars at motor shows, let’s go straight to the point and answer the usual questions: how was the show this year. What was relevant and worth recording for the years to come?

First I would say that I saw more irrelevant, disappointing or irritating cars (read designs) than interesting and attractive ones: be for their design or their lack of innovative ideas/concepts. A short list includes the Aston Martin Cygnet,  Renault Megane CC, Renault Wind and Toyota Auris.

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Bertone has announced that the dream car they have designed over the Maserati chassis shared by the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione will be named Pandion. The choice is consequent with Bertone’s tradition of naming their spectacular show car with animal names, such as the Alfa Romeo Testudo, Canguro, Carabo and Delfino. Read the rest of this entry »

It is called McLaren MP4-12C and it has been designed by Frank Stephenson.

I am offering you a selection of official images with not much words at this time. For two reasons. I am in a hurry and, despite McLaren has released a 29 pages text I have no clue about what this car is going to be really, for the very simple reason that McLaren has been very careful at not release any data that would its competitors critical information about its overall weight (the supercar body is made of carbon fibre and light alloys) and dimensions.

What is clear is that the ultimate McLaren is a top performer designed and engineered to compete in the core segment of the supercars market. Read the rest of this entry »

LILLI BERTONE HAS FULL CONTROL OF “STILE BERTONE”.

Lilli Bertone, the strongly minded widow of the late Nuccio Bertone, is reportedly the only owner of the Stile Bertone design think tank as of July 28^th. After the Turin Court ruled that Mrs. Bertone has the right to a minimal majority stake in the company, with the remaining 49.9periodical in the hands of her two sisters, the Bertone matriarch has succeeded in buying them out and ensure herself 100% of the stakes into Stile Bertone. Read the rest of this entry »

In a brilliant move, designed to anticipate all speculative scoops, Ferrari has unveiled today its plan for the introduction of their new Ferrari 458 Italia. The new high performance two-seater supercar will be first unveiled at the Frankfurt’s IAA motor show in mid-September. The company will be taking “advanced booking” but the car will go on sale late this year. Read the rest of this entry »

Different designers have different approach to communication, publicity and image.

Even before starting his new Corvette ZR1 Mantide, Jason Castriota, designed and organised a massive communication campaign banking on internet, video-clip and photo shooting. By the time the Mantide was ready for its unveling everyone knew about it.

On the contrary Ercole and Paolo Spada entirely focused on what they love most: car design. They did not care much about marketing, public relations, photo shooting et all. When it was first unveiled in Monte Carlo last year only those belonging to the inner circles of design had heard about it, via internet of course. Than came the printed press.

Through the months passed since that unveiling, it has emerged that the Spada Codatronca is not the easiest car to photograph and based on the pictures that have appeared so far it was easy to either love or hate the car.

Time had come for the Spada to realize that someone had to look at the Codatronca with the eyes of a photographer and they have organised a photo shooting (and many hours of photoshop, or a similar software) , to present their very special Corvette ZR1 in a different perspective. Obviously the growing rivality between the Codatronca and Mantide is playing a role. For the good of car designers and the public.

Here, I am glad to be the first to offer you a selection of “different perpectives” of the Spada Codatronca. Well I would b, if only we could manage to get Flickr work as it is intended to. Come back until the link to the photo gallery works all right. Thank you

Complete Photo Gallery: