Truly enlightened design is never met with public approval; often it’s the dreamers who bring it to reality, cementing its legacy.
The dawn of the automobile saw a flurry of flamboyant design, where craftsmanship was paramount as the automobile attracted anybody wealthy enough who could envision a new level of personal transportation.
The manufacturer’s chassis was provided to a coachbuilder and a sum of money dropped to allow the imagination to be unleashed. Several months later, the realized dream would inspire generations to come.
In an effort to mobilize the population, mass production transformed automobiles from playthings for the rich, into items of basic utility. To control costs and increase appeal, styling became generic and the coachbuilders went back to truck and coach bodies.
As car styling becomes increasingly bland, I say we need cars that offend the majority but appeal to a minority. Let’s not forget that Zagato met uproar when it introduced the double-bubble design language and yet today, it’s become engrained in modern sports car styling.
Stile Bertone’s Stratos Zero concept car was considered vulgar, receiving an emotional reaction from onlookers at the time. And yet the Stratos went on to become the cornerstone in the geometric design language we see around us daily.
The McLaren X-1 is a polarizing machine that was the result of a wealthy owner’s wet dream. It might not appeal to everybody but if you had the means, wouldn’t you also want a futuristic supercar you could valet at the opera house in a bespoke tuxedo?
It’s dream concepts like these that keep design students inspired and gives kids a reason to slap another poster on the wall.
Somewhere between 1975 and today we lost our lust for cars. I don’t know if it was the oil embargo, the introduction of reliable and efficient Japanese cars, or the economic turndown that caused us to retreat into our shells, but when I see the McLaren X-1, Lamborghini Sesto Elemento or the Aston Martin One-77, I’m elated the industry is again listening to insanely wealthy customers. These people are creating something new for us to dream about, or imagine how we’d do it differently.
The wealthy are again inspiring new generations. Their money allows them to realize the dream of strolling into a manufacturer’s headquarters, laying down the law on what it is you want and indulging your automotive fantasies for all of us to admire. It’s this kind of emotional decision that can lead to a priceless and enduring impact on the human spirit, or the sexiest thing to emerge from a personal garage.