Tony Lewin - How to Design Cars Like a Pro

HOW TO
DESIGN cars
LIKE A PRO

New Edition
Tony Lewin
Ryan Borroff
Foreword by Ian Callum
Design Director, Jaguar

First published in 2010, 2011 by Motorbooks, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North,
Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA

Copyright 2010 by Tony Lewin and Ryan Borroff

All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.

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Digital edition: 978-1-61060-989-0
Softcover edition: 978-0-76033-695-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lewin, Tony.
How to design cars like a pro / Tony Lewin, Ryan Borroff.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-7603-3695-3 (sb w/ flaps)
1. AutomobilesDesign and construction. I. Borroff, Ryan. II. Title.
TL240.L445 2010
629.231dc22

2010013742

Editor: Jeffrey Zuehlke
Design Manager: Kou Lor
Designed by: Simon Larkin

Printed in China

On the front cover and the title pages:
Sketches of the Ford Iosis Max concept. Ford of Europe Design
On the back cover:
Original design art by Paul Nichols.
On the frontis:
The Nissan Nuvu concept car (2008). Nissan Motor (GB) Limited

Contents

Leading designers talk about their inspirations, their art and their approach

How studio inspiration turns into street-level reality

Design up close and personal

Showtime specials that fast-forward the future

Jean-Pierre Plou has restored Citroens design vitality: now he must do the same for Peugeot

Behind the studio doors with Oliver LeGrice of Land Rover advanced design

The nine stages of a cars creation from idea to industrialisation

Professor Dale Harrow, head of vehicle design at Londons Royal College of Art

Why brand identity is essential in todays multinational world

New forms of propulsion will allow designers to reshape the automobile

Which sells best a steadily evolving design or one which reinvents itself regularly?

The designers of tomorrow share their views and their designs

Perspective, tone, rendering, highlights we get you started on sketching

The men, the machines and the firms that shaped car design

Twelve show cars that shook up our thinking

These were great ideas, but the buyers werent ready for them

Fifty cars that define 110 years of automobile history

foreword
by Ian Callum Design Director, Jaguar Cars

I really cant imagine a more exciting time to become a car designer. New challenges and demands on the motor car are going to change the comfortable assumptions we have had for many years. Challenges include safety, resources, and, of course, sustainability.

The process of anticipating trends in technology and customer needs is now a primary focus. We need to question the whole aspect of how we package components, because components are changing. Where there is now a large V-8 engine, one day it may house a battery or electric motor. What was once acceptable for aerodynamics is no longer the norm. What was once crashworthy is now dangerous. All these aspects affect the way we will design future cars. Not just incrementally, but dramatically.

Designers starting their careers during the coming decade will need to grapple with questions like these, and will have the unique opportunity to shape a new design direction for the industry.

So, more than ever before, car design is a profession where motivated, talented young people can make a real difference to the world around them.

For many, this can be the fulfilment of a lifelong dream. As a teenager, classic shapes like the Jaguar Mk II and the XJ fuelled my passion for automotive design, and inspired me to send my first application letter to Jaguar as a 14-year-old!

Even during the 1970s, however, car design was a competitive world, and it took over a decade of hard work and persistence to secure a position within the industry.

Fast-forward over 30 years, and I have had the privilege of overseeing the re-invention of the Jaguar brand, returning to the original values of innovative, modern design which Sir William Lyons established during Jaguars heyday.

This revolutionary change was not achieved overnight. It was a long, ten-year journey, and highlights that the talent to create attractive shapes is not enough: Designers need to have real tenacity and the ability to communicate the vision behind their ideas.

At Jaguar, we embraced this change from heritage-led design in three stages. Each successive modelthe XK coup, the XF sedan, and the flagship XJ moved the design language forward, combining distinctly modern appearance with the purity of line and sense of proportion which underpins all classic Jaguars.

flagship XJ

The exceptionally favourable reception for these vehicles has been a strong vindication that our approach was the right one, and is a good example of the unique rewards which this profession can offer.

Young people who share a similar passion for automotive design, and who are keen to establish a foothold in what remains a highly sought-after and competitive profession, will find this book a valuable resource.

Providing a detailed insight into the world of car design, it also profiles the work of a number of young, up-and-coming designers.

Fresh, modern ideas which capture the imagination, and which get customers enthralled, are the lifeblood of our profession, and I look forward to seeing the next generation of talented car designers entering the industry.

INTRODUCTION
THE FAST MOVING WORLD OF