Table of contents for No. 177 in AUTO & DESIGN

Each year, the Villa D’Este Concours d’Elegance presents a selection of masterpieces, and this edition was no different. We have selected four examples which mark two glorious eras in the golden age of Italian coachbuilding. ALFA ROMEO 6C 1750 GTC CABRIOLET BY CASTAGNA There is no question that it was with Castagna that Italian coach-building first began to acquire its own personality. This is one of the oldest names in the industry. In 1864, at just nine years of age, Carlo Castagna started working as an apprentice at a coach builder in Milan known for its high quality carriages. In 1901 he founded his very own business, which began to earn a name for itself after securing a number of prestigious orders, among which a triple phaéton for Queen Margherita.…

“H onesty and integrity”, proclaims Ian Cameron. At a time in which the global recession has brought to light a certain paucity of these two concepts, Rolls-Royce issues a declaration of intent that draws strength from the conviction that – in Cameron’s words – these two values “have always symbolised Rolls-Royce”. To illustrate this, the brand has revealed another EX (for Experimental – the word ‘concept’ is too plebeian for the Goodwood based marque): the 200EX, presented at Geneva, a virtually identical preview of the RR4 (which, however, will bear the hallowed Silver Ghost moniker) entering production next year. “What we are trying to do”, says the Rolls-Royce design chief, “is to offer the best in its segment, and the best has always meant, from a design and engineering standpoint…

Arolling sculpture glides over the asphalt at Mortefontaine, with a slender, sleek silhouette and standing tall on 22 inch wheels. This is the Hypnos, the Citroën concept car taken from the stand at the Paris Motor Show to the CERAM test circuit, where it proved to be a true hybrid for its original design as much as for its all-new HYbrid4 powertrain. The French marque intends to put this hybrid drive system – which consists of a 2 litre HDi FAP diesel engine producing 200 bhp, complemented by a 50 bhp electric motor mounted between the rear wheels – into production in 2011, in the ecological flagship and sophisticated future sister model to the C5, the DS5. “When we were defining the concept car for the Mondial of October 2008,…

Not only is the Lancia Delta a sales success in Italy and Europe, it is now also a star of the silver screen. In the movie “Angels and Demons” directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, the Delta plays a leading role in the thrilling closing scenes set in the streets of Rome. This is yet another cinematic feather in the cap of the Turin car, after its famous launch commercial with Richard Gere and the commercial filmed for the 9th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. The car’s increasing status is reflected in a number of new additions to the range, which further emphasise its character. The most highly anticipated arrival is the new 1.8 Di TurboJet direct injection petrol engine with variable valve timing. The Euro 5…

The idea of user friendly space has been dear to Renault for decades, with origins dating back to the R4 from the 1960s. In more recent times, the Regie invented the MPV formula with the Espace, and then broadened the concept to include the more compact Scénic. This latter model has just been updated, debuting in the form of the New Scénic 7 seater variant, which replaces the Grand Scénic and will be joined in Autumn by the 5 seater X-Mod version. Sales began in May with a range offered in Comfort, Dynamique and Luxe trim levels and with five engines: a 1.6 16V (110 bhp) and a 1.4 Tce (130 bhp) petrol and 1.5, (110 bhp), 1.9 (130 bhp) and 2.0 litre (150 bhp) FAP dCi turbodiesels. The new…

A truly historic nameplate in the Honda range (born in 1972 and first sold in Italy in 1990), the Civic has been kept up to date over the years with changes varying from the subtle to the radical. This time around, a fine chisel has been used to make small styling alterations to better express the characters of the 5 and 3 door Type S versions, while the range has gained a particularly ecological new 100 bhp 1.4 i-VTEC 16 valve petrol engine (the same unit as in the Jazz, replacing the previous 8 valve engine) and an all-new 5 speed auto box for the 5 door 1.8 i-VTEC. The 3 door Type S now boasts more dynamic looks, with a honeycomb grille and miniskirts borrowed from the sporty Type…

After the success of the “audigeneration@” project in 2003, the creative relationship continues between the German brand Audi and the Industrial Design course at the Fh-Joanneum university of applied sciences in Graz. This time around, “The Brand Beyond the Car” was the title of the brief assigned to the students by professor Gerhard Heufler. The theme, involving both car and product design, focused on the Audi brand, its values and its styling cues rather than its cars. The students were required to acquire an extensive knowledge of the principles of the brand and its history in order to project it beyond the automotive sector and into other project categories. So you shouldn’t be surprised to see images of lamps, boats, a pushchair and even an aircraft in these pages, all…

As always, the recently concluded 2009 edition of the Milano Design Week saw numerous exercises in style and many attractive proposals conforming with the new canons of the third millennium (environmentally correct and innovative in terms of materials and production methods) in the shape of chairs, sofas, bookcases and other objects. As always, there were not that many examples of positive, significant change – of a profound reassessment of the configuration and uses of items of furniture themselves, whether they be chairs, sofas, tables or bookcases. For instance, the Mezzadro and Sella, two design milestones created by the Castiglioni brothers for Zanotta in 1950 and 1957 respectively, represented a radical rethinking of the chair that was more informal, more dynamic and more in keeping with the way we sit in…

Nuccio Bertone probably would have chosen his favourite colour, green – or, to be more precise, the acid green used for a number of his most important concepts – for this car, especially given that its name Mantide means ‘praying mantis’. Jason Castriota, the new head of design at Stile Bertone since December last year, however, preferred red – not a Ferrari or Alfa red, though, but a much deeper red, “to emphasise the Italian essence and the very racecar like character of this supercar, which has an American heart but has been dressed by an Italian tailor”. The American heart he speaks of comes from the Corvette ZR1: a supercharged 6.2 litre V8 producing 638 hp, which propels the car from 0 to 100 Km/h in just 3.2 seconds,…

The Prima study built by Pininfarina for Tata and presented at Geneva is an expression of the Turin company’s intentions to look positively toward the future, and of its ability to create elegance and dynamism while respecting the Indian brand’s criteria for simplicity. “It all began in Spring 2008”, says CEO Paolo Pininfarina, “when my brother Andrea decided to build a joint venture in India involving design as well as engineering. Ratan Tata liked the idea when it was presented to him, and the research stage began in September, initially pursuing two separate directions: one for a pure concept car, the other for a C/D segment three-box production saloon which evolved the themes of the Indigo. We also decided to create a style model for Geneva, and started producing sketches.…

A car that doesn’t exist? “Yes, but everyone would want one”. Since Patrick Lecharpy inaugurated the Central Europe design centre in Bucharest eighteen months ago, the Dacia Duster has been his everyday dream. Director of advanced design for Renault as well as design chief for the Romanian subsidiary of the French marque and head of the Bombay design centre, Lecharpy gave his young team – all East European and all fresh out of college, meaning that this is in fact their first real job – a particularly challenging brief: “Imagine a Dacia that does not exist, which would complement the existing range”. The result was one of the biggest surprises at Geneva: a concept for a crossover which, rather than scaling up towards SUV proportions, plays lower to the ground…

Urban Cruiser, a crossover SUV with urban aspirations and the latest addition to the Toyota family, joins the B segment to take on rivals such as the Citroën C3 Picasso and Kia Soul, but also models such as the Fiat Sedici and Suzuki SX-4. This compact car (at 3.93 m long, 1.72 wide and 1.54 tall) is a comfortable five-seater with a generous luggage compartment ranging from 314 to 749 litres with the rear bench folded. Off the record, Toyota’s European management admits that the Urban Cruiser, built in Japan at the Takaoka plant, could be seen as a response to fill the gap left by the three door RAV4, which is no longer in production. Key to the appeal of the car, which, as we saw for ourselves during…

“Robust, muscular and intelligent” is how Lexus chief engineer Takayuki Katsuda describes the RX 450h, which boasts a new design to reflect its technological evolution. This luxury SUV, launched at the last Los Angeles show and now on sale around the world, is powered by a second generation Full Hybrid system, which can operate in electric-only mode at the simple press of the EV button on the steering wheel. In this case range is limited to just 3 to 4 kilometres, but in normal mode – internal combustion or combined – the 249 bhp, 3.5 litre V6 engine of the RX 450h sips just 6.3 litres of fuel per 100 Km and produces only 148 grams of CO2 per kilometre. This is all the more impressive considering the substantial size…

Modern and futuristic technologies in an explicit reference to the history of the motor car. F-Cell is an innovative fuel cell-powered vehicle created in a multidisciplinary project conceived to introduce the topic of alternative drivetrains to the junior employees attending training courses at Daimler AG. For approximately a year, the 150 trainees representing a broad spectrum of fields – such as automotive mechatronics, model-building, electronics, coating technology, manufacturing mechanics, product design and interior appointments – nurtured the project from its initial stages to the fabrication of the prototype at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen. “This project impressively demonstrates that the topic of sustainable mobility has become an integral part of our vocational training”, said Daimler AG Human Resources Board member and Labour Relations Manager Günther Fleig. “I am delighted to…

Zero emissions single seat racers, mind-controlled racing cars, cars powered by the energy of a waterfall and maglev urban transport. All of this and more were on display to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Vehicle Design course at the Royal College of Art in London. To celebrate the event, nineteen students with irrepressible imaginations exhibited a selection of fantastic ideas at London’s Transportation Museum – some of the most extravagant examples of creativity seen to date (some of them here illustrated). These models were not just the product of pure imagination, but actual proposals developed as part of a project conducted in collaboration with GM Europe’s design centre with a very special brief: to look approximately 40 years into the future and identify tomorrow’s potential customers, defining their profile…

It is not so much the question of who the Dutch design talents entering the car industry are, but why and how they managed to develop their skills to an international level. Especially with Laurens van den Acker (44) taking over the helm from Renault’s Patrick LeQuement, and the leading role of Adrian van Hooydonk (44) as head of BMW group design, this question is justified. And more design talents from the low countries are preparing for a career in the international car design world. For sure, self-taught Harm Lagaay, the now-retired Porsche design boss for many years, has inspired others from the Netherlands, as did Fedde Talsma, who has remained loyal to Volvo’s design studio for almost 25 years. But behind the scenes, other Dutchmen have contributed – and…

The image that symbolises the eightieth Villa D’Este Concours held at the end of April 2009 is the prize awarded to the historic Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B, a vehicle based on the mechanicals of the Grand Prix single-seater (eight cylinders in line with twin compressor), whose berlinetta-style body was so magnificently built by Touring. The owner, John Shirley, who until November 2008 had been President and CEO of Microsoft, accepts two splendid cups which Jean-Marc Droulers, President of Villa D’Este, and Karl Baumer, President of the Concours and responsible for BMW Group Classic have just handed over. Those two prizes, the Coppa d’Oro Villa D’Este and the BMW Trophy both assigned by the votes of invitees to the Saturday parade and by members of the jury, are however only…

It is a car conceived before the crisis, but developed with the postcrisis era already in mind. “We thought about what is changing in the car world”, explains Adrian van Hooydonk. “Motorists will be much more careful about how they spend. Even before the crisis, one could see a trend toward a less visible show of luxury on the outside, but without sacrificing luxury and comfort inside. This trend is destined to strengthen, and this is why the 5 Series Gran Turismo comes at just the right time.” Presented as a concept at Geneva, the car will go into production between September and October – more or less coinciding with the Frankfurt motor show. “We had seen two themes developing that appear particularly important to motorists: wellness behind the wheel…

Take the characteristics of a hatchback, an SUV and a station wagon, add a dash of MPV and you get a crossover model ready to be dished up to a market that is proving to be increasingly attracted to fusion offerings. This is exactly what Peugeot has done with the 3008 presented at Geneva and on sale from May. The project, codenamed T84, began four years ago, in parallel with the 308 with which it shares its platform. The goal was to offer a blend of driving pleasure, space, safety and versatility with some degree of offroad ability, while using front wheel drive only and minimising environmental impact. Accordingly, the car is offered with a selection of clean powertrains – two 1.6 litre petrols producing 120 and 150 bhp, and…

In just over two years, the Maserati Granturismo has scored outstanding results in terms of image and become an outright commercial success, contributing palpably to the ascent of the Trident, as borne out by the brand’s all time record sales of 2759 vehicles last year. With the new GTS 4.2 Automatica version presented at the last Geneva show and the subsequent debut of the GTS 4.7 with a semi-automatic gearbox, the range now covers every facet of the concept of the grand tourer, a genre first interpreted by Maserati in distant 1947, in the heroic golden era of its racing history. To distinguish the GTS Automatica externally, a few fine styling tweaks were all that were needed to reach the pure elegance of the original shape by Pininfarina. The sideskirts…

Toyota’s C segment MPV, the Corolla Verso, changes face and name. The new car, which goes simply by the name Verso, is built on a completely new platform and now offers characteristics on a par with MPV rivals – such as the Citroën C4, Ford C-Max, Opel Zafira, Volkswagen Touran and the all new Renault Scénic – vying for a market that places more importance than ever on aspects such as low running costs and CO2 emissions. Proof of this renewed competitiveness is an outstanding, class-leading Cd of just 0.295. From a design perspective, the new Verso was developed according to the dynamic concept of Kai Kan. In Japanese Kai means “reliable comfort”, while Kan means “more pleasure”. The concept is founded on four basic elements: dynamic design, an interior…

Not just a new model, but a whole new beginning for Chevrolet in Europe. This is how the management of the American marque describe the Cruze, a car reinterpreting the conventional 3 box, 4 door saloon format with flair and scrupulous attention to detail. The Cruze, which is built in Korea, Russia and North America, was developed in a truly global project involving centres in Korea, Germany, the US and Australia. The 4.6 metre long car offers a choice between a 113 bhp 1.6 litre petrol/LPG and a 150 bhp 2.0 turbodiesel. There are also two trim levels: LS for the 1.6 litre petrol and LT for the 2.0 diesel. “In some aspects,” explains design director Steve Eum, “we wanted to reinterpret certain typical elements of American cars from the…

Throngs of curious local and international visitors were drawn to the Peugeot stand at the last Shanghai motor show. Causing all this interest were the curved forms and original, centrally pivoted architecture of the Peugeot RD, the winner of the fifth Peugeot design competition penned by the twenty-seven year old Columbian Arturo Torres Tovar and displayed on the stand as a full scale model. This was the proposal that best answered the brief “Imagine the Peugeot in the Worldwide Megalopolis of tomorrow” set by the French marque for this year’s edition of the contest. And with over 2500 projects submitted by young designers from 95 different countries, more than 600 thousand visitors to the website www.peugeot.com and a hubbub of activity in blogs and forums, the theme was clearly of…

The “Golden Bowtie” brand is back in the headlines, with the third edition of the pan-European competition Young? Creative? Chevrolet! The third edition of the competition introduces two significant new changes. On a European level, Music has now been included as a fifth discipline alongside Photography, Fashion, Video and Visual Arts, while Italian participants may now compete in three categories – namely Fashion, Visual Arts and, as from this year, Photography – offering a further opportunity for creativity and expressing talent, realising a promo image for the media. The Chevrolet Italia headquarters in Rome hosted the panel of judges which, this 3 April, evaluated the young students of the Italian applied arts academies taking part in the competition. First place in the Fashion category went to Erica Fuschini, a student…