Why not drive our own designs?
Everyone of us in auto design has a secret passion to drive the vehicle of our own design. One that you will never see another one like it coming toward you on the road.
In 1957 Bobby Darin met Detroit fashion designer Andy DiDia who described a dream car he was building. Darrin said he would buy the car if he hit it BIG. Bobby became a teen idol and married film star Sandra Dee. He purchased the car in 1960.
What a car! Diamonds had been ground to dust in Sweden to make the Ruby Red paint glisten. In keeping with the trends, This bubble top had individual lighters and ashtrays for each passenger. Hidden headlamps and taillamps swiveled with the steering mechanism. The Ford 427 V8 made this tubular chassis a one of a kind personal statement at the zenith of the tail fin era. It's body was hand built of soft aluminum by the team of Ron Clark and Bob Kaiser of Clark Kaiser Customs in Detroit. This represents how far personalization and roughly 150,000 U.S. dollars (1960) could take you. Bobby and his movie star wife arrived at the Academy Awards in style driving this outragous original and created a sensation.
The few who achieve the top design jobs at automakers used to be able to do this, until the lawyers got involved. Eugene Bordinat at FORD, Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell at GM and Virgil Exner at Chrysler got to use some of their concepts as daily drivers. Buckminster Fuller tried his had with the Dymaxion, Brooks Stevens modified a few. and other pioneers of styling made their own one offs.
In his book "The Third Wave" (1980) by Alvin Toffler ( author of Future Shock). Toffler spoke about moving past mass production to "mass personalization". He envisioned by the mid nintieties that we would evolve manufacturing to allow each of us to have products designed for us specfically and possibly by us. Well here we are in 2017 and rapid prototyping allows many of us to manufacture products to our own specifications. If Ski boots can be made to fit the exact dimensions of your leg, why not design auto body parts to your own design? Replacement of those parts is no longer a barrier. Body Shops could simply RP a duplicate fender or fascia if your vehicle has a fender bender. Entire prototype auto bodies have been RP'd now for 5 years.
How about this in the age of autonomy? If we can virtually eliminate vehicle to vehicle collisions, doesn't this enable the design freedom to create one of a kind vehicles?
Okay , we need to start with pedestrian safety, No Mad Max spikes (unless their foam rubber?). Then we can allow personalization to open Pandora's box. Imagine how different our automotive landscape would look!
Vehicle ownership is becoming a higher hurdle for manufactures. Banks are worried about the loss of auto loan income. The opportunity to create your own vehicle would be an incentive for ownership. Owners can make a fashion statement instead of wearing the same automotive fashion as everyone else. Ownership would make our streets far more entertaining.It's a different business model that impacts all of us in the vehicle design industry.
Next time your in a parking lot, viually eliminate all of the Black, White and Silver SUV's and sedans
So where does this leave design? In the hands of amateurs? This is aesthetically dangerous ground. Seasoned architects have failed miserably at designing their own vehicles ( Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright come to mind). So we could resurrect the carozzieria model the Europe used for the first years of the industry.
People of means would once again consult with a professional vehicle designers to create their own automotive statement! Far beyond the color and interior trim personification that BMW, and other luxury marques have offered for years.
Ferrari has taken the lead in this approach for more tahn a decade by creating exciting one offs like the P4/5 for wealthy patrons like Film Director and Stock market icon, James Glickenhaus. The millions of dollars to create a one off can now potentially come down market to allow mortals to experience the joy of driving a "Unicorn" of our own design.
I'd welcome the chance to discuss this exciting aspect of the future with your group or conference. Please reach out to me at [email protected]
Freelance Automotive Historian, Photographer, Journalist, & Artist/ Owner/Manufacturer of Dooling Arrow Tether Race Cars
6yThat is Bobby Darin with the Didia 150, "custom dream car." Designed and constructed by Andy Didia, of Detroit, it was about as far out a car that one would ever expect to see on the street. With a clear acrylic plastic roof, had to be a bit warm in CA sunshine to be driven much during the day. He used it for making an entrance to openings and premiers in the evening. Andy most recently worked with Metal Craters of Orange County proving "Camera Ready Movie Cars.
M1 Concourse
6yMike Thank you for your post I hope to visit you museum when Mr. Tyndall's Ideas are featured. As a professional designer I created dozens of show cars and a number of production vehicles over the years. I Thought you might like seeing this image from my history of Automotive Design course. It was created called SIr Vival and was created by Walter C. Jerome of Worcester, Mass. He started with a 48 Hudson and well. You can see the results. As you pointed out there somethings best left to the professionals. That being said there have been some very credible designs done by independents over the years. Hope we meet soon. Brian
Founder-New England Auto Museum
6yIn the automotive world, there are designers such as Chip Foose, Rick Dore and many others who design one-off creations for clients who have the money to pay. These automobiles often take on the resemblance of cars of the 30's and 40's, but are at the same time as much mechanically cutting edge as they are works of art. It truly takes a talented individual to bring a design from paper to the road. After saying this, I wanted to bring up a man named Bruce Tyndall. A mathematician and college professor by trade, it was his dream to design an automobile with a "space-age" aluminum chassis which would deflect to protect its passengers during a crash. Nothing new you might think? True you are, but Mr. Tyndall started his life-time dream in 1964 long before we had the thoughts of an all-aluminum car. His research and design lasted long enough for him to create the designs, write a "published" SAE paper on "An Aluminum Automobile Structure to Absorb Impact” and construct his first prototype chassis before a series of heart attacks halted any further advancements. Sadly, my friend Bruce Tyndall passed away this spring without ever seeing his dream become reality. We will however, be sharing his work in the coming future to promote his dream and talent, but most especially, the man himself.